Life, 1889-03-21 · page 5 of 20
Life — March 21, 1889 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 163 This page contains humorous practical problems and a social sketch titled "A Mercurial Belle." The main cartoon, "Coming Away," depicts two fashionably dressed figures—a man and woman—departing what appears to be a social event. The accompanying dialogue satirizes upper-class pretension and social climbing. His Lordship criticizes the "scum of Europe" and "elite of New York," while Mrs. F. dismisses such distinctions as mere social posturing. The joke mocks both aristocratic snobbery and American efforts to mimic European sophistication. The practical arithmetic problems above are lighthearted number puzzles with absurdist premises (converting "blocks of five" between states, calculating oyster-related costs), typical of Life's humor style. "A Mercurial Belle" is a brief comedic exchange about a young woman whose behavior depends on temperature—satirizing inconsistent or temperamental female personality tropes common to period humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: TWO VIEWS. 1 THINK I'm in love, But I'm open to doubt, And I wish I could prove That I think I'm in love. For my suit won't improve Should she ever find out That I think I'm in love But am open to doubt.” “cc M “T know he’s in love, There is no room for doubt, And I think he'll improve, Now he's fallen in love. I quite wholly approve, And I hope he'll find out That I know he’s in love, ‘There'll be no room for doubt.” WT. Bliss. PRACTICAL ARITHMETIC. OW many seconds are there in a duel? How many minutes in a previous meeting ? How many degrees in a college ? How many barrels in a political campaign ? How many feet make a book-agent tired ? How many pounds make a prize-fight ? How many sins make one scruple ? How many perfumes make a scent? Reduce 7 Jacks to gills. Reduce 3 gallons of whisky to drunks. Add one oyster to each plate of soup in a church festival, and determine the rise in price per plate. PROBLEMS, If “blocks of five" are worth $25 a block in Indiana, what are they worth in Vermont ? If a bank cashier leave Chicago at 3 P M., and another leave New York at 5 P.M. on the same day, how soon will they dine together in Montreal ? A and B play a game of poker, At the start A has $300. After playing two hours A discovers that B is an army officer, He thereupon quits the game. How much does he have left? Ans, Nothing. A man pats $5,000 in the hands of a Wall Street broker, with instructions to invest the same in wheat. How much does he lose by the transaction? ANS., $5,000. A, B and C hire a coach to take them home. C is drunk, while A and B are sober. What share of the bill does each ) pay? ANS., ._ nothing. B) wothing. C, twice the regular charges for the whole, If a man spend three-quarters of an hour trying to.unlock the front door with a button-hook, how much did he spena at the club during the evening ? 163 A Maine grocer bought ten barrels of cider, at $2 a barrel. How many of his friends were afflicted with chronic vertigo before the cider gave out ? A man fails in business for $20,000. His creditors levy upon his assets and obtain $7,000 in settlement of their claims. How much does his wife make by the transaction ? ANS., $13,000, If an A. D. T. boy goes on an errand at the rate of 1 mile in 48 hours, and another at the rate of 1 mile in 36 hours, which will come out ahead matching pennies? What chance has the man who employed them of remembering what the message was about when he gets the answer ? Tom Hall. A MERCURIAL BELLE. OUNG MR. JACKSON (ata Thompson Street soirée): Does yo’ dance much, Miss Birdie? Miss BIRDIE (@ fascinating but very stout young lady): Sometimes I does, Mr. Jackson, and sometimes 1 doesn’t. Tt all depen's on de thermometah. COMING AWAY. His Lordship: \t WAS JOLLY & BEASTLY CROWD, THE scUM OF EUROY Mrs.F.: THE scum oF Eurore! T: RUT—ER—RUT WHAT A . New York! His: Lordship: Wat's THE DIFFERENCE IF YOU ONLY CO BACK A LITTLE? comicbooks.com