Life, 1888-08-30 · page 3 of 14
Life — August 30, 1888 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 115 This page contains several humor pieces rather than political cartoons: **"A Legal Lover"** is a romantic poem about a marriage proposal, where the suitor uses legal/financial language ("My legal tender!") as courtship rhetoric. **"Strangers Inside the Gates"** depicts a minister noting the presence of visitors at a church service, referencing the biblical phrase about welcoming strangers. **"Verbal Accuracy"** is a brief dialogue joke about athletic participation—the humor relies on a misunderstanding of "field sports." **"On a Transatlantic Liner"** and **"His Expenses Heavy"** are shipboard humor pieces about passenger anxieties and the costs of maintaining appearance while traveling. These are gentle, domestic satires typical of Life's early 20th-century humor content—focused on manners, relationships, and everyday social situations rather than political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
EFORE the waltz was over quite, They sought a moment's brief respite Out of the whirl and where the light Was soft and mellow, And there in happiness alone ‘They sat until the flute had blown A trill to drown the final tone That filled the ‘cello. “* Clarissa, darling "—after these He suffered an emphatic squeeze— “*T love you"'—here upon his knees, In true devotion, He knelt before Clarissa, who Was all uncertain what to do; Her heart seemed practising a new Eccentric motion. Outside the window they could see The snow upon the winter tree, Whose twigs once trembled with the glee Of summer's swallows, And while upon this scene intent They gazed, a ray of sentiment Appeared, and conversation went Somewhat as follows : “Clarissa ""—here he paused a while To contemplate Clarissa’s smile And polish up his verbal style : She, lightly drumming Her fingers on the window, lest, Embarrassed, he forget the rest, Gave him a chance, and meanwhile guessed Just what was coming. ** Clarissa "—here he took her hand To help his rhetoric to land ; She let him hold the fingers, and, By squeeze judicious, And gentle turning of her head, She punctuated what he said— An action which, interpreted, Meant ‘* How delicious !" STRANGERS INSIDE. TH GATES. H, it fills my heart with joy,” said a country minister, as the last note of the organ died away, “to see so many strangers among us on this beautiful Sabbath morning. The good book says ‘He was a stranger, and I took him in.’ _ The collection will now be taken up.” VERBAL ACCURACY. ) ISS TENNIS: Do you go in much for athletics, Mr. Racket ? Mk. RACKET: No; go out, mostly, don’t ye know—field sports and that sort of thing. Then, like a fervent worshipper, He told his beads of love to her: Said he, ‘Clarissa, I. prefer To make Life’s journey Along the paths of Paradise.” He said that sentence over twice, And thought it sounded rather nice For an attorney. ‘I'm poor,” he said (Love's truest art Makes this a softo voce part), “But if you'll promise me your heart In sweet surrender, We shall not want for sordid gold: Clarissa, you are wealth untold— You are”—the metaphor was bold ; “* My legal tender !"" Frank Dempster Sherman, ON A TRANSATLANTIC LINER. ERVOUS PASSENGER: And are you sure there is no danger, officer ? OFFICER: Nota bit. nap because it’s too foggy to see anything. The Captain's just gone to take a HIS EXPENSES HEAVY. OUNTRYMAN (outside of dime museum admiring picture of three-headed man): What d'ye have to pay that chap, mister? ROPER-IN: Thousand dollars a week. COUNTRYMAN: Gosh, that's a smart lot of money! ROPER-IN: Yes, but you see it costs him a good deal for hats. MONG the more prominent watering-p!aces in the United States may be mentioned Saratoga, Newport, Atlantic City and Jay Gould's office. comicbooks.com