Life, 1888-12-27 · page 22 of 43
Life — December 27, 1888 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct items: **Main Article:** A Christmas-themed essay discussing the spiritual meaning of Christmas versus materialism. It references "Thomas Arnold's clever granddaughter" (likely Mary Arnold Ward, a Victorian writer), suggesting contemporary debate about religious faith's importance. **Poem:** "To an Empire Candlestick" by William Clyde Fitch poses whimsical questions to a decorative candle holder, asking if it witnessed romantic moments—powdered wigs (period fashion), beauty marks ("patches"), love letters ("billet-doux"), and secrets. It's playful period nostalgia. **Illustration:** "The Advantages of Snow-Shoes" depicts a woman in winter clothing standing in snow with what appears to be a child or small figure. The title suggests practical winter gear benefits, though the cartoon's specific satirical point remains unclear from the image alone. The overall page emphasizes Christmas sentiment, romance, and winter leisure—typical Life magazine content mixing philosophy, poetry, and illustrated humor for educated Victorian/Edwardian readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
6 > LIFE: indifferent to him, it is a failure; if you hate him, so far as concerns you, it is a catastrophe. You may suppose that to love your neighbor is a mat- ter of temperament, or of disposition, or of health, Those things have to do with it. Some men are good-natured because they have strength and a well-geared digestive ap- paratus, and to others the world is what Edwin Arnold calls “liver saddened"; but the Christmas feeling is much more than good-nature, and is not absolutely inconsistent with a reasonable degree of irritability. Thanks to Thomas Arnold's clever granddaughter, there will be more speculation this year than usual as to whether what happened eighteen hundred and eighty odd years ago was a vital matter to the world, or an event the importance of which has been greatly exaggerated. If you have never known the Christmas state of mind you may have doubts about the matter; but if you have known it—do know it, perhaps—you will be confident that the tidings that the shepherds heard was news of importance, and that it was on no fool's errand that the wise men came to Bethlehem. TO AN EMPIRE CANDLESTICK. ID you help to fasten a powdered cue, Or light the way for a naughty patch? Did you aid in sealing a billet-doux, Or the secret of some sweet love unlatch? Wm. Clyde Fitch, THE ADVANTAGES OF SNOW-SHOES. comicbooks.com