Life, 1890-04-24 · page 12 of 18
Life — April 24, 1890 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Satire Page Analysis This page contains three separate satirical pieces: **"Longfellow Revised"** mocks careless writing by altering Longfellow's famous poem—changing "mighty man" to "mighty man is he, / With whiskers on his hands" (nonsensical). **"The Careless Artist"** shows a painter repeatedly missing his canvas, satirizing incompetence. **"A Cause for Grievance"** reproduces anti-Italian immigrant stereotyping—a working-class speaker complains that Italian immigrants dominate shoeshine, fruit vending, and allegedly commit crimes. It's vitriolic xenophobic dialect humor common to the era, expressing nativist resentment. **"An Improvement, Perhaps"** criticizes the Metropolitan Museum's hours: working people can only visit Sundays, when it's closed. The piece sarcastically suggests changing "The Public Be Damned" to "The Trustees Be Damned," implying museum leadership disregards workers' access while claiming to endorse workers' right to express frustration—itself ironic mockery.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LONGFELLOW REVISED. NDER a spreading chestnut tree, The village blacksmith stands ; The smith, a mighty man is he, With whiskers on his hands, * CTYLE is the dress of thoughts,” said Chester- field. He would stare at the decolletée fashion in which thought goes about nowadays. THE CARELESS ARTIST. a de 7 A CAUSE FOR GRIEVANCE. + DINSIS, VEZ CAN TALK AS YEIVE A MOIND TO, RUT TE -TRLL VEZ SS WALKING RIGHT OVER US AND DRIVIN' US TO THe : YALL THE SHOE POLISHIN’ Now? WHY, THE EYETALIANS; WHO RUNS ALL THE CORNER APPLE STANDS? WHY, THE TALIANS; WHO COMMITS THE MURDERS AND WOLFE BATIN'S ?- THE EYETALIANS ; THEY'RE A PAVIN' OUR SHTRATES AND PILLIN' OUR PRIS- ONS, AN’ IT WOULDN'T SHURPRISE ME IN THE LEASHT IF WE ILECTED AN EVETALIAN ALDERMAN IN THIS VERY WAR'RD!" AN IMPROVEMENT, PERHAPS. HE only day that working people can visit the Metro- politan Museum is Sunday. That happens to be the only day on which it is closed. In a recent issue LIFE suggested that an inscription be painted over the door bear- ing these words: THE PUBLIC BE D—Dp, which has brought forth the remark by an estimable citizen that if the inscription were so modified as to read, THE TRUSTEES BE D——D, it would better express the sentiments of the community. LiFe, of course, cannot endorse any such utterances, especially when applied to such abnormally good gentlemen as those referred to. Should the working people of this city, however, express their feelings in any such language, we should not be the first to revile them for it. comicbooks.com