Life, 1890-02-13 · page 13 of 18
Life — February 13, 1890 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct pieces satirizing social attitudes of the era. The main cartoon, "In Berlin," mocks aristocratic snobbery and hypocrisy. A woman dismisses republican ideals, insisting breeding determines worth—then reveals the poorly-dressed man she's criticizing is actually a *Hohenzollern*, a member of the German royal family and cousin to the Kaiser. The satire's point: aristocrats claim superiority based on inherent breeding, yet a genuine aristocrat can appear common. This likely critiques pre-WWI German class pretensions and the hollowness of nobility's claims to natural superiority. The other items are lighter: a dialogue joke about romantic commitment, a sentimental poem about Valentine's Day, and a theater review praising Senator Rivers's portrayal of a cocktail-drinking character—with a jab at prohibitionists who object to such depictions. The overall effect positions satire against rigid class systems and moral absolutism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
up to the stock-company standard, but furnish an efficient support. Taken all in all, the performance is a most entertaining one. Our prohibitionist friends may object to Senator Rivers's outspoken com- mendation of the cocktail habit, but they must remember that he is portraying a character to which the cocktail was a very essential adjunct. Metcalfe. ED: How is it you have kept from marry- ing, being such a ladies’ man? NED: By never being in love with less than three girls at once. MY WISH. ASTE, Cupid, to my lady fair, No New Year greeting can bring glee ; This sofily to her speak : For only this I pine: No Easter offering I care, ‘Tis that ma belle will give to me Nor Christmas gift would seck. Her heart for Valentine! H. EL W. IN BERLIN. She: 1 HAVE NO FAITH IN THOSE REPUBLICAN IDEAS, BREEDING DOES TELL, WHATEVER YOU MAY SAY. JUST LOOK AT THAT SPECIMEN, FOR INSTANCE, WOULD ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY EVER ENABLE HIM TO PASS FOR ONE WHO WAS dorm A GENTLEMAN? How DOES HE GET HERE, BY THE Way? He: ParTLy, I SUPPOSE, BECAUSE HE 18 A HOHENZOLLERN AND FIRST COUSIN TO THE EMPEROR. comicbooks.com