Life, 1888-12-27 · page 3 of 43
Life — December 27, 1888 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine, December 27, 1888 The cartoon titled "Similar But Different" depicts a social scene contrasting two situations involving Miss Snyder. The accompanying caption states: "He: I always seem to call when Miss Snyder is out. She: Perhaps you are mistaken about that. It might be she is never in when you call." This is a drawing-room satire about social etiquette and romantic pursuit. The humor relies on the woman's polite rebuff—she's suggesting the gentleman simply isn't welcome, rather than admitting she's unavailable. The "similar but different" framing highlights how two opposite statements can convey identical meaning. The "What They Resolved" section below contains humorous mock-resolutions about contemporary political figures and issues, including references to the Democratic Party, Republican officials, and administrative matters of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Votume XII. No. 313. DECEMBER 27TH, 1888. SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT. He: 1 ALWAYS SEEM TO CALL WHEN Miss SNYDER 18 OUT. She: WHAT THEY RESOLVED. HE DEMOCRATIC PARTY—To wait till the clouds roll by. ALL REPUBLICANS—To remain quietly in their homes and let the offices seek them instead of their seeking the offices, FaTHER MCGLYNN—To become the mugwump candidate at the next papal election. MANAGER ABsey—To use the Banting system for the reduction of his enlarged head, BeLva—To remember that She who runs and fights away, The President may be some day. Tue City oF PHILADELPHIA—To desist from its giddiness and wild debauchery with a view to becoming some day a sober and quiet community. Tue PRonisitIONIsTs—To have their trousers built without hip-pockets. Hon, Wittiam M, Evarts—To become a space writer on a daily newspaper and thereby increase his income. Jav GoULD—To use no water except for drinking and bathing THE PRESIDENT-ELECT—To be governed entirely by the princi- PERHAPS YOU ARE MISTAKEN ABOUT THAT. IT MIGHT BE SHE IS NEVER IN WHEN YOU CALL. ples of Civil Service Reform, making only so many removals as shall give an office to every Republican who shall desire one. Jouann Most—To bathe twice a year, whether he needs it or not. Davip B, Hitt—To write a book on ‘* Demagogism as a Fine Art.” Hon. Tuomas P, OcHILTREE—To read the history of Ananias and Sapphira every night before going to bed. Grover CLEVELAND—To remember that ** Even those whom Fame has lent her fairest ray From a base world at last have stolen away ; So Scipio, to the soft Cumaxan shore Retiring, tasted joy he never knew before.” Rovert G. INGERsOLL—To abandon his pagan cheerfulness, and replace it with some good, old-fashioned Christian gloom. Huon J. Grant—To be Mayor of New York instead of General Spoils Agent for Tammany Hall. Citarces A. DANA—To go to Whitechapel and give himself up. James G. BLaine—To ask the new administration only for that part of the United States lying south of the North Pole. Metcalfe. comicbooks.com