Life, 1889-01-17 · page 3 of 16
Life — January 17, 1889 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 31 **"Both Sides" Poem**: A light romantic piece where a man and woman each claim the other asked for a rose first—a humorous reversal of courtship expectations where both parties pretend innocence. **"The Chemical Ballet"**: The main article describes Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann's educational innovation presented at a Congress of German Naturalists and Physicians in Cologne. He used costumed dancers representing atoms to physically demonstrate chemical compound formation and reactions—making organic chemistry instruction entertaining and visual rather than purely theoretical. **Illustrations**: Two sketches accompany the piece: one showing people with a horse-drawn cart (context unclear), and another depicting anthropomorphic cats in a "Pousse Café" setting, likely unrelated to the main article or providing comic relief. The satire celebrates making science education engaging and accessible through creative theatrical methods.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
BOTH SIDES. HERS. E asked for my rose— Yes, he loves me, I think, And no one else knows That he asked for my rose ; But my cheek warmer glows, Like the petal’s deep pink. He asked for my rose; Yes, he loves me, I think. HIS, I asked for her rose— She was flirting, I think. I don’t mean to propose Since I asked for her rose; But girls always suppose That we're just on the brink. When I asked for her rose She was flirting, I think. Grace H. Duffield. THE CHEMICAL BALLET. CIENCE has made some astounding advances of recent years, but it re- mained for Dr. Heinrich Hoffman, of Ber- lin, to bring himself forward at one stride to a commanding rank as an educator and thinker. At the conclusion of the Congress of German Naturalists and Physicians in . EVOLUTIONARY. Cologne, last month, Dr. Hoffman addressed New Arrival (by steamer from “de Souf”): Hi, EPHRUM! DOES DE FUR COME his professional brethren, expatiating upon our Like DAT ON CULLUD FOLKS WHEN DE COMES NORF, LIKE OUR VARMINTS IN the difficulty experienced by students of pe winTER TIME? chemistry in understanding the constitution of organic com- pounds, Then suddenly before the bewildered men of science, there flitted upon the stage a gorgeous ballet, each beautiful dancer in a differently colored costume. The astounded naturalists and physicians were at first inclined to believe that an opera troupe had gone astray, but Dr. Hoffman put their minds at rest. He explained that this ballet was an invention of his own for the purpose of making the study of organic compounds easy. Each ballet girl, he said, repre- sented an atom. At his command, the lovely atoms grouped themselves in various figures, and the delighted medical men realized that they were observing, by Dr. Hoffman’s felicitous method of instruction, the chemical constitution of various compounds and their reactions. The report of the Congress declares that “the composition of benzol and the formation of aniline and its derivations were particularly applauded.” Here is an opportunity for an enterprising American to make education easy in various branches, insomuch that the drudgery of study shall become a delightful pastime. A “POUSSE CAFE." THE proof of the pudding is partly in the heating. comicbooks.com