Life, 1889-03-14 · page 13 of 20
Life — March 14, 1889 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **Top: "Elijah in the Fiery Chariot"** — A woodcut-style religious engraving showing Elijah's biblical ascension. The caption below suggests a crude joke equating divine transportation with marital discord: "If marriages are failures, perhaps the above will give a slight idea of why they are so" — implying husbands might wish for miraculous escape from their wives. **Bottom: "We All Know Him"** — A sketch and article about Chauncey Blankington, a wealthy speculator who dabbles in mining stocks and Western land speculation. The satire targets his perpetual absence from his office and his pretense of always being "out of town" on business above Fourteenth Street (uptown), while actually frequenting social venues (supper clubs, theater parties). The joke mocks how such men claim constant business activity while avoiding their actual offices and professional responsibilities. Both pieces satirize contemporary upper-class male behavior—either marital avoidance or business pretense.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
FROM OUR COLLECTION OF OLD PRINTS. Evian in THE Fiery Crarior. If MARRIAGES ARE FAILURES, PERHAPS THE ABOVE WILL GIVE A SLIGHT IDEA OF WHY THEY ARE SO. WE ALL KNOW HIM. i has returning from a symposium the other night I met Chauncey Blankington. I meet him everywhere—at supper, clubs, theatre parties—in fact, everywhere except at his office. He used to be in mining stocks, securities, and Western land speculations; now I am in. Above F teenth Street is out of town, nowadays. That's where Chauncey spends all his time. When I call at his office, his bookkeeper gazes on a map of the Snake River Valley country, and to my question regarding Mr. Blankington, he answers that he is “ out of town.” Blankington is a good fellow, nevertheless. twelve dollars the first week he was in business. He earned When he co micbooks.com