Life, 1888-09-13 · page 6 of 14
Life — September 13, 1888 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 146 The page contains two distinct elements: **"The Correct Version" cartoon**: A domestic humor piece showing a man in bed and a woman standing. The caption presents a husband-wife exchange about whether the husband was home, with the wife's response emphasizing her pleasure—likely satirizing marital communication or domestic life stereotypes common to early 20th-century humor. **Main article**: "The Heart of the Southern Catskills" discusses climbing Slide Mountain. The text humorously contrasts Mr. Burroughs' literary account of the mountain's difficulty with anecdotal evidence from three young men who completed it easily in poor weather. It's satirizing the gap between romanticized nature writing and actual outdoor experience. The remainder consists of book advertisements typical of the magazine's era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: THE CORRECT VERSION. Mrs, H.: WHEN YoU Norah: MUCH PLEASED. Noran, pip Mrs, RICHLY LEAVE ANY MESSAGE TOLD HER I WAS NOT AT HOME? Ma'am, SUE bIDN'T; BUT sie LOOKED VERY THE HEART OF THE SOUTHERN CATSKILLS. OHN BURROUGHS, in the August Century, has given a J delightful description of the least known part of the Catskills—a region free from the American “ hotel girl” and “hotel boy,” and from the frivolous woman who carries an elaborately turned “ Alpine-stock,” decorated with a red ribbon. A hundred or more of choice spirits who have long known this beautiful region, will perhaps regret that Mr. Burroughs has given it such enticing publicity. And, while appreciating his delicate and acute perceptions of the nat- ural beauties of the Woodland Valley and of Slide Moun- tain, they will quietly laugh in their sleeves at the element ggeration which enters into his account of the difficulties attending the ascent of this highest peak of the Catskills. the climb up Slide Mountain is a thing to be a “constitutional” before dinner, or to be recom- mended to invalids and children—but to speak of “ bringing Slide to terms,” or “skirmishing with him at a distance,” ying siege to Slide” through several seasons, or under= taking the “actual assault re-enforced by two other brave climbers,” is a kind of poetic license which will amuse any man with a sound pair of legs who has made the ascent from the Woodland Valley—which, as Mr. Burroughs says, is certainly much harder than the easy walk from Dutcher’s in Big Ingin Valley. LIDE MOUNTAIN is 4,220 feet high, a fine, imposing hill in the midst of other hardly less impressive peaks. Like most of the Catskills it is covered with nice, clean timber, and very little annoying underbrush. Even when you ascend its steepest side, where there is no trail, you will find little trouble in picking out a practicable pathway. True, there are not a few wind-pumping rocks along the way, and you will be glad to rest on fallen trees a score of times before you reach the summit, while your heart pounds away in your body, and along your neck, and in your head like a hydraulic ram. That is to be expected in climbing any mountain of pretension. When you are half way up you are ready to vow that you would not do it again for a fabu- lous sum of money; when you are fairly on the summit you feel that perhaps you have been more than rewarded; and probably you will undertake the same tramp next season without any unusual inducement. . . . NDEED, it may please Mr. Burroughs to know that a few years ago three young men, fresh from desks and pulpit, and without any special qualifications as “brave climbers,” did, with a competent guide, ascend Wittenburg, Cornell and Slide, and return to their starting-place in the Woodland Valley—all between the hours of 9 a. M. and 9 P.M. This little excursion of twenty-five miles was enlivened with seven hours of rain, sleet and hail. They ascended Slide from the precipitous side toward Cornell and came down the rocky path so graphically described by Mr. Burroughs. Two or three inches of water made miniature cataracts all along the way, and down these the young men slid when other means of transit failed. 1 believe it can be proved that these mild adventurers have since “bragged,” more or less, over their feat; they have, perhaps, had some notion that they “ beat the record,” and proved themselves anything other than “tenderfeet.” But, even to a perfectly friendly and admiring audience, | do not believe that they have ventured to depict the benignant Old Silde as a terrible monster to be “taken by siege,” or “ skirmished with,” or * assaulted ” by “ brave climbers " dur- ing a three days’ campaign. It will hardly do to bestow the honors of the Matterhorn upon this respectable peak whose summit 1s not above the line of vegetation. Droch. NEW Books - LICAN GIRL, By Frederick Thickstun, Boston: Ticknor & Co. AME A Sea Change. By William D. Howells. Bostor icknor & Co. Battles and Leaders of the Civit War, Parts XXI. and XXII. ye The Century Co. Pictures of Hellas, berger. From Lands of Exile. berger. al Mere Child. By 1. B. Walford, New York : Henry Holt & Co. “Undine.” and “ Sintram and his Companions.” By De La Motte Foqué. New York and London : G. P, Putnam's Sons. Media, Babylon and Persia. “Story of the Nations" series, and London: G. S. Putoam’s Sons. Crucify Her. By Ramsay Morris, Company. Aulnay Tower. By Blanche Willis Howard, The Princess Daphne. Clarke & Co. New By Peter Mariager. New York: Wm. S. Gotts- By Pierre Loti. New York: Wm. S. Gotts- New York New York: The Electric Publishing Boston: Ticknor & Co. Chicago, New York and San Fraccisco: Belford, comicbooks.com