Life, 1888-08-09 · page 12 of 14
Life — August 9, 1888 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page Analysis This page from *Life* contains multiple short satirical jokes typical of the magazine's humor style: **"More Than Mere Addition"**: A pun mocking Mr. Brown's large family—he corrects a neighbor's congratulations by saying it's "multiplication, not addition," suggesting rapid, excessive childbearing. **"Hard to Open"**: A domestic joke where a wife sarcastically suggests her husband used prayer rather than a can-opener, implying his profane language while opening tomatoes was prayer-like in intensity. **"Betrayed by Her Language"**: A young woman tries to speak formally to excuse arriving late for a train ticket, but her elaborate, pretentious language ("breathlessly") ironically reveals her lower-class status to the conductor, who demands payment anyway. **"Going to Waist"**: A pun on "waste"—gossip about a man named Blowemoff squandering money on luxurious living. **Bottom cartoon**: A rural man asks a postal clerk if there's another post office in town, suggesting incompetence or dissatisfaction with current service. These represent *Life*'s characteristic blend of wordplay, class commentary, and domestic situations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MORE THAN MERE ADDITION. “T HEAR YOU HAVE HAD AN ADDITION TO YOUR FAMILY, Mr. Brows Mr, Brown (sadly); MULTIPLICATION, MY DEAR Mapam—twiss of any believer's religious convictions, from doing so, but ht constitution.” His courtesy alone would have prevented him was guided in this respect by an instinct that lay deep in his R. JULIAN HAWTHORNE has published in the Critic a letter which expresses such a cordial admiration for the late Mr. E, P. Roe that the reader hardly knows which is most worthy of remark, that Mr. Hawthorne should have had such feelings, or that Mr, Roe should have inspired them. * * * INCE Mr. Smalley’s assurance that the Cornelius Vanderbilts made no mistakes during their term of intercourse with the best people in London, very general regret is expressed that Mr. Smalley’s friend, Mr. Matthew Arnold, did not live to meet them, . . . THe Chicago News man who saw Mr. Charles A. Dana when he passed through Chicago, on his way to Milwaukee, reported that— “While Mr. Dana is not noticeably negligent with his apparel, it was evident yesterday that his suit was not wasting its light-gray life away in an undying struggle to fit him neatly." Is it possible that Mr. Dana laid aside his own exact apparel and borrowed a suit of Mr. Jones or Mr. Reid, so as not to seem more carefully attired than his hosts?) Or did the News person confuse the identity of Mr. Dana and the able foreign correspond- ent of the Sux, Mr. Blakely Hall, who was in Chicago at the same time ? . . . HESE are hard times for the poor old Erie Canal, which seemed at times, last month, to be upon the brink of such a collapse as befell the one-hoss sh: ‘FIFTY YEARS AFTER.” E goes to the Opera Comique, Tho’ feeble and rather antique : He gives as a reason, In their budding-out season, ‘The dancers belonged to his clique. BMV. A. HARD TO OPEN. se HAT in the world, John,” asked his wife, “did you open that can of tomatoes with?” “Can-opener, of course,” he growled; “what do you s'pose I opened it with?” “| thought, from the language you used, you were opening it with prayer.” BETRAYED BY HER LANGUAGE. OUNG LADY (6reathlessly): Ah, ow- ing to an unexpected and unavoidable detention, Conductor, I discovered on reach- ing the station that my time was too limited to enable me to purchase a ticket. ConpuctTorR: Yes'm; it’s five dollars to Boston. GOING TO WAIST. HOLMONDELEY: Sad thing this, about poor Blowemoff. He's wasting all his money in high living ! SMYTHE: Very sad! Everything going to wais Granger : SO THEY AIN'T NUTHIN' HERE FUR ME; WAL, STRANGER, 18 THAR ENY OTHER GooD HOST-OFFICE IN TOWN ? comicbooks.com