Life, 1888-07-19 · page 11 of 14
Life — July 19, 1888 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Understanding This Life Magazine Page This page contains satirical commentary and a comic strip titled "The Tug of War." **The Reflections Section** discusses: - Colonel Lawrence Jerome's recovery from illness, humorously attributing it to receiving an encouraging message referencing the Duke of Marlborough - A mock campaign song called "Benjamin Levi" (the reference is unclear without broader context, but appears to mock Republican campaign efforts) - Senator Orville Platt's Fourth-of-July temperance speech, where he argued occasional drinkers were temperance's worst enemies. The satire suggests the Senator should simply open bars to convert occasional drinkers into full drunkards—thereby "solving" temperance by eliminating the middle ground **"The Tug of War" Comic Strip** depicts a domestic struggle where a woman and man pull items in opposite directions through a doorway, illustrating marital conflict over possessions or control. The Maxwell/Preller reference at top remains unclear without additional historical context, but suggests contemporary legal proceedings. The overall tone is genteel social satire typical of early 20th-century American humor magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
REFLECTIONS. ANY thousands of good Americans, and some average Britishers, have learned with painful apprehensions of the illness of Colonel Lawrence Jerome. It is a pleasure to be able to state that Colonel Jerome is not so ill ashe was. Over-exertion in- cident to an important fishing engagement with Colonel Duffy, of Pennsylvania, and others, brought Colonel Jerome reasonably low, and his friends had begun to speak solemnly about him when his attention in a favorable moment was called to a newspaper paragraph to this effect : “ The last words of the Duke of Marlborough, as he sailed were ‘Remember me to “ Larry," the dear old chappi The significance of the message was not lost on Colonel Jerome. Instantly observing that he could not afford to have his end associated with any such last words as these, he called for bis trousers, arose from his couch, and rode in a four- wheeled cab to the U——n Cl-b, where he took breakfast, and left town shortly afterwards for Sharon, where he will remain as long as his friends will let him. So great is the power of friendship to beat back disease ! * . . MONG all the would-be campaign songs that have been suggested for the use of a patient population, how does it happen that no use has been made of the vigorous lyric known as “ Benjamin Levi?” Here is a ringing campaign song, all ready made, and the people know the tune, and yet our Republican friends have passed it scornfully by. Don’t you seem to hear it? “From Benjamin out in Hoosierdom, To Levi in New York, The cry is‘ Lift the tax from rum And raise the tax on cork !’"" These are the sentiments, brethren, and you know the tune. Mix them to suit your individual tastes. . . . [* an eloquent Fourth-of-July oration at Wood- stock (Conn.), Senator Orville Platt announced his conviction that the most invincible foes of temperance were the occasional drinkers, and averred if only all of them were either abstainers or drunkards, the temperance question would settle itself in no time, What Senator Platt ought to do is to open a lot of nice bar-rooms to supplement his forensic efforts. His field is among the occasional drinkers, and if there are any such whom he cannot convert to absti- nence by his talk, he might hope at least to ex- pedite their progress down hill by keeping a good quality of stimulant always within their reach, and giving reasonable credit. It is true that some fault might be found with the Senator for making drunkards, but if he explained that he had done it in the interest of temperance, what could any one say? One special advantage the Senator's theory has for a man of his political complexion—it enables him to vote with a clear conscience for the removal of the tax on whiskey. ELS. M. - LIFE: 39 T seems that Maxwell doesn’t want to be hanged any more than Preller wanted to be murdered, THE TUG OF WAR. = comicbooks.com