Life, 1890-12-25 · page 23 of 51
Life — December 25, 1890 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains six separate humorous vignettes satirizing American social behavior and attitudes circa early 1900s: 1. **"Personally Conducted"**: Mocks American tourists, particularly Midwestern women who dismiss iconic London landmarks (Tower of London) as inferior to Paris's Eiffel Tower—poking fun at American provincialism and obsession with French culture. 2. **"A True Artist"**: Satirizes pretentious playwrights who claim leaving the third act to "imagination" is artistic when they've simply failed to write it. 3. **"Pardonable Resentment"**: A hardware store salesman takes offense at being asked about "small vises"—likely a crude pun on "vises" (tools) suggesting something insulting. 4. **"In Folly's Train"**: Ridicules a woman's decision to marry a foolish man, suggesting she's equally foolish for doing so. 5. **"An Elucidation"**: Satirizes the "New England conscience"—moral rigidity so extreme it permits selling defective wooden nutmegs (a historical scam) without guilt. 6. **"Fixing His Whereabouts"**: Dark humor: a cannibal's predecessor has "gone into the interior"—implying he was eaten.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PERSONALLY CONDUCTED. OSTON GIRL: Didn't you enjoy London? CHIcaco Giri: Nothalfas much as Paris ? Boston Gikt: But weren't you interested in the Tower of London? Cuicaco Girt: Humph! It’s nothing to the Eiffel Tower. A TRUE ARTIST. OU call this a three-act play; but all your characters die at the end of the second,” “Certainly, True art leaves something to the imagination. I leave my third act to the imagination.” PARDONABLE RESENTMENT. CUSTOMER IN HARDWARE STORE: Have you any small vises ? SALESMAN (angrily): [don't think that is any of your business. IN FOLLY’S TRAIN. "Dip YOU KNOW THAT MISS BJONYS WAS GOING TO MARRY younc Siri?” “DT KNOW IT; BUT 1 CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW A GIRL AS INTELLIGENT AS SHE 18 CAN CONSENT TO MARRY A MAN STUPID ENOUGH TO WANT TO MARRY HER.” called for gus AN ELUCIDATION. ~ HE: The story-writers have a good deal to say about “the dreadful New England conscience.” What is it, any- way ? He: Well, for instance, it is having unalterable conscientious scruples against giving an un- ‘antee of a wooden nutmeg to a fellow who has just bought one from you. FIXING HIS WHEREABOUTS. ss I HAVE always won- dere aid the newly arrived missionary to the genial cannibal, * what became of my predecessor.” “Oh, he,” returned the can- nibal, “he has gone into the interior.” VER since Rebecca went tothe well watering places have been great resorts for ladies with matrimonial aspirations. comicbooks.com