Life, 1890-08-28 · page 5 of 16
Life — August 28, 1890 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page 103 Analysis **Top cartoon: "An Exceptional Person"** Two women discuss a new rector (church official). Miss Middlestate praises him as "lovely" and "an earnest worker." Miss Alice counters he has "very bad form" but adds he'll "talk nothing but shop whenever he calls"—meaning he'll only discuss church business. The satire mocks social pretension: the women value his ministerial dedication less than his conversational manners, suggesting shallow concern with propriety over substance. **Bottom section: "The Tables Turned"** A brief humorous anecdote about hotel service: a "Distinguished Guest" learns the menu-carrier is actually a former waiter, reversing their social positions. The joke plays on class mobility and ironic role reversals common to period humor. The page exemplifies *Life* magazine's satirical focus on American social conventions and class dynamics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AN EXCEPTIONAL PARSON. Miss Middleaisle; YOUR NEW RECTOR IS LOVELY, WHAT A PLEASANT YOUNG MAN HE IS, AND SUCH AN EARNEST WORKER, TOO, Miss Alice: OW, YES—HUT He’Ss VERY BAD FORM, THOUGH, Miss Middicaisle: \WUY DO YOU SAY THAT? I THINK HIS MANNERS ARE,PERFECT, Afiss Alice: WELL, ANYHOW HE WILL TALK NOTHING BUT shop WHENEVER ME CALLS. THE TABLES TURNED. ISTINGUISHED GUEST (at the Summer resort hotel): Garcon, you may hand me the menu. By the way, your face is strangely familiar, Garcon : Possibly sir—(proudly)—I was a guest of this hotel last year. DISTINGUISHED GuEST: Indeed — (¢0 himself )—1 was a waiter. EVERY dog has his day and {the cats seem to be quarreling over the nights. “WHO CARFS FOR THE THERMOMETER!” No NEws is bad news—to editors. comicbooks.com