Life, 1888-10-11 · page 12 of 14
Life — October 11, 1888 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page: Satirical Humor from Early American Era This page collects brief humorous sketches typical of *Life* magazine's satirical format. The jokes target everyday social absurdities: **"The Reason Why"** mocks parental neglect—a mother so preoccupied she's lost track of her own child. **"After the Vacation"** jokes about countryside visits failing to restore health despite their reputation. **"No Time to Waste"** satirizes modern impatience: a country girl refuses gloves requiring frequent buttoning, valuing efficiency over fashion. **"A Dutiful Son"** plays on strict parental discipline—a boy obeys his father's rule against interruption so literally he doesn't warn him his coat is burning. **"Cool in Danger"** features a tramp bragging to young ladies about Civil War service. His story—where his excessive composure literally froze his men into capture—is absurdist humor mocking both military braggadocio and the tall tale tradition. These reflect *Life*'s focus on middle-class social pretensions and behavioral ironies 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.
THE REASON WHY. SMA BOY No. 1 (¢0 small boy No. 2, who is strutting around with his hands in his pockets): Come over and play with me, Johnny! “Can't.” “Go ask your mother if you can’t.” “Can't ask her; she is out somewheres looking for me.” AFTER THE VACATION. OLES: Back from the country ? BoLes: Yes. CoLes: Feel recruited ? Botes: Haven't been back long enough to feel the benefits yet. NO TIME TO WASTE. LERK: Gloves, did you say, Miss? Something with six buttons ? TRY GIRL: Without buttons. I deh ain't got time to fool away half an hour every- time I put ‘em on. A DUTIFUL SON. Father (a strict disciplinarian): MY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME MY COAT WAS BURNING ? Son: YOU TOLD ME NEVER TO INTERRUPT YOU WHEN YOU WERE READING ALOUD. COOL IN DANGER. “e W AS | in the war?” said the tramp to one of the young ladies who were making a sketch of his battered appearance. “Well, I should so remark. Brave was 1? You can bet your pretty picters that sights which would have killed one of you gals with horror only made me laugh. Lemme tell you a story to show how dog-goned cool | could be in the face of danger. “Tt was just afore the battle of Seven Oaks, an’ me and my comperny lay in a small farm-house near a wheat-field. It was a scorcher from Scorcherville. I mean the day, not the field. The thermometer showed 128 in the shade. The men were stretched out on the floor a pantin’ away with their tongues a-hangin’ out of their mouths. Suddenly a gun went off outside the house. A look out the winder showed a regiment of rebels who had halted not a rod away. The danger was terrible, but we would have been all right if it hadn't been for my cussed coolness. The awfuler things got the cooler 1 was, and finally I affected the air so all hands began to hear their teeth chatter as if each man was being ducked in ice water. “ Finally, seeing how things were, | tried to get scared, but only got cooler. It was no go, cos it warn’t in me; and the enemy, being attracted by the noise of the chatterin’ teeth, came in and captured the whole lot, who were too cold to resist. I was too brave, I was. Thank yer, Missie! I'll buy a bible with that air dollar.” Clarence Stetson. A Hair Restorer. A QUICK TRIP AROUND THE HORN, comicbooks.com