Life, 1890-08-21 · page 7 of 16
Life — August 21, 1890 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 91 **"Afraid to Pray"** depicts a new minister responding to criticism about his prayer habits. The minister explains he avoids praying in public because his husband faced workplace discrimination—a railroad was shut down after he prayed for divine intervention on street time, preventing him from reaching work punctually. The satire targets religious hypocrisy and institutional intolerance: the minister fears that visible piety will invite retaliation against her family, suggesting that prayer itself has become socially dangerous rather than virtuous. **"More Chance for Experiment"** and **"Not in the Programme"** are brief comedic sketches about social awkwardness—one involving a doctor insulting a patient, another about tourists on packaged excursions seeing nothing of actual Europe. These mock pretension and missed experiences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AFRAID TO PRAY. The New Minister ; Do YOU MEAN TO SAY, MADAME, THAT YOU FEAR TO PRAY ? Old Lady: Yes,1 KNOW THE PRAYERS WILL BE ANSWERED, OF COURSE, BUT THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS ANSWERED WITH DISCRIMINATION, FOR YEARS AND YEARS MY HUSRAND HAD TO GET UP BEFORE DAYLIGHT IN ORDER TO REACH HIS WORK ON TIME; AND THE LO} SLOW RIDES IN STREET CARS WERE INJURING IIS HEALTH, Wet, PRaveD THAT HE MIGHT HE LIEVED OF THIS GREAT TROU! AND DANGER, AND IN SIX MONTHS A GREAT, DIG, UGLY ELEVATED RAILROAD WAS RUN UP OUR STREET AND I HAVEN'T SEEN A RAY OF SUNSHINE SINCE, MORE CHANCE FOR EXPERIMENT. He said he wouldn't have me attend a cat for OCTOR: He insulted me! him. Maup: Well, now, I think that was unkind of him. I don't see why he should fear to intrust a cat to your treatment. (Zhe Doctor looks surprised.) Indeed, I don't, A cat has nine lives, you know. NOT IN THE PROGRAMME. Do tell me about your trip to Europe, What did you see ? Oh, I didn’t go to see anything. I went on one of Crook’s excursions. SiMe: EarTH has no greater joy than the discovery of a quarter in a cast-off vest. PUTTING HIS WHOLE SOLE INTO HIS WORK. comicbooks.com