Life, 1890-08-21 · page 12 of 16
Life — August 21, 1890 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Satire, Page 96 **Top cartoon:** A couple at the beach discusses Mr. Golightly's career change from ministry to stockbroking. The joke pivots on "watering stock"—a fraudulent practice of inflating company value—versus "feeding lambs," a pastoral/religious duty. The satire mocks how a clergyman abandons spiritual work for financial schemes, using financial jargon as double meaning. **"Latest from Cape May":** This references the Bering Sea Seal controversy (late 1880s-90s). President Harrison, confused about "mare clausum" (a legal term meaning closed sea), mistakes it for a person named "Mary Clawsom" connected to Secretary Blaine's diplomacy. The joke ridicules Harrison's ignorance—he confuses international maritime law with a woman's name, then overreacts about seals (the animals he'd banned hunting of). "Lige" helplessly explains the Latin origins while Harrison rages. **Bottom items:** Minor jokes about shutters/morning sun and a directory clerk listing multiple surnames for one woman—likely satirizing Irish naming conventions or marital status confusion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
She: 1 WEAR THAT Yor Mr. GOLIGHTLY HAS GIVEN UP THE MINISTRY AND GONE INTO THE BROKERAGE BUSINESS, He: Yes; We EVIDENTLY PREFERS WATERING STOCK TO FEEDING LAMBS, LATEST FROM CAPE MAY. said the President, as Mr. Halford paused a moment in his reading, ** Lige, I can't make head nor tail to this busi- ness. Who is this Mary Clawsom that Blaine is making so much fuss about, and what business has she to be prowling around Behring Sea ? Haven't I warned these people away ?"” “Oh, mare clauswm isn't a person,” explained Lige. ‘It's Latie, and I'll look it up in that dictionary Wanamaker gave us to-day. Ab, here we have it—claudo, claudere, claust, clausum ; to close, shut, seal" ‘Seal! shouted the President, dropping, in his excitement, bis grandfather's hat, ** Seal, did you say, Elijah? 1 might have known it. Am I never to hear the last of them pesky varmints? Darn a anyhow!" And the President frowned so savagely that Baty ce fled in terror, and Lige ceased to whistle. A. BE. Hoyt. A GOOD REASON. RS. De JEUNER: I wonder why those people oppo- site never open their shutters to let in the morning sun? : : ; : seal Directory Clerk: WUat’s YOUR XAME? Mis DE JEUNER (adstractedly): 1 guess they take the Lady of House: Fatt an’ 1 DUNN cases Winmsoavere World. a was Macots ! NIXT T'URSDAY IT'LL BE DERMOTT, AN’ PHAT IT 1s VOI 1s BETWANE BOTH OF THIM NAMES, PHWHATIVER THAT CUTTING RATES—Hair 25¢., shave toc, may pet! comicbooks.com