Life, 1889-05-09 · page 10 of 18
Life — May 9, 1889 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 274 This page contains several satirical sketches and humorous dialogues rather than a single unified cartoon. **"Tongue-Tied"** mocks stammering through verse about breaking stones by the sea. **"The Revenge of Time"** satirizes a wealthy woman (Cadwallader) complaining that her Easter bonnet cost forty dollars—an enormous sum for the era. The joke centers on her vanity and expense, with her husband Jack humorously suggesting milliners charge extra for such items. **"No Doubt of It"** depicts newly arrived missionaries being welcomed; the satire appears to mock their earnest optimism about helping "unregenerate brethren." **"A Good Reason"** shows a child refusing tree-planting at school because "buff switches growin' round our school now"—humorous complaint about corporal punishment. The page exemplifies *Life*'s style: lighthearted domestic and social satire targeting consumer excess, pretension, and American institutions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TONGUE-TIED. BEBREAK b-b-break, b-b-break, On thy c-cold gray stones, O sea; And I w-would that I did not st-stutter The th-thoughts that arise in m-me! 7 SJ M. THE REVENGE OF TIME. ks ADWALLADER (fére): How's this, Eleanor, \ C a forty-dollar bill rendered from Fuss & Feath- ers? CADWALLADER ( fi//e): Oh, yes, papa, dear; that is i’ for my Easter bonnet, you know ; it was lovely, too. CADWALLADER (fére, grimly): It ought to have - been. ° CADWALLADER (fille) : Jack thought it a perfect gem. CADWALLADER (fére): H'm! Jack. CADWALLADER (fil/e): Yes, wasn't it! I don’t mind letting you, papa dear, see a bit of poetry he wrote about it on the fly-leaf of my prayer-book during service. CADWALLADER ( fore, reading) : “A flutter of ribbon, a fringe of lac A bunch of posies nodding upon it; It was, I can assure you. That was very kind of Two tender eyes, a mignon This is my love in her er bonnet.” Thanks, my dear, I appreciate your confidence and Jack's rhyme. I will not forget either. ONE YEAR LATER. JACK bonnet ? Eleanor, isn’t forty dollars a big price for a spring WHY WOULD NOT FENCING MASKS BE A PROTECTION AGAINST THOSE OFFENSIVE BIPEDS WHO ALWAYS CARRY THEIR STICKS AT AN ANGLE IN CROWDED PLACES? —. — NO- DOUBT OF IT. vewly Arrived Misstonary: 1 WAVE NO DOUBT, MY UNREGEN- ERATE BRETHREN, THAT YOU WILL BE GREATLY BENEFITED AND STRENGTHENED BY MY STAY AMONG YoU. Chorus of Unregenerate Brethren (with emphasis): You ev! ELEANOR: Oh, no, not specially; it was my Easter bon- net, you know. Jack: Ah! offerings, too. ELEANOR (fouténg): You know very well they do not. -— I meant that the bonnet was of superior design and elegance. Papa met me on the avenue and said I had never looked prettier. Oh, and he sent a message to you, too! Jack: What was that ? ELEANOR: He bade me be sure to tell you that my bonnet was very becoming, and that if you intended to write an ode to it as usual, this year, he would suggest that you write in blank verse and affix your autograph. Jack (reddening a little): Your papa, Eleanor, is a very funny old gentleman! M. H. Welch, Iwas not aware that milliners had Easter A GOOD REASON. Nie: Howard, are you going to take part in the tree-planting at school on Arbor Day ? HOWARD (emphatically) : No, 1 hain’t ; there’s ’nuff switches growin’ round our school now. comicbooks.com