Life, 1891-01-15 · page 7 of 18
Life — January 15, 1891 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis **Top photograph/scene:** Shows a couple in formal dress having a conversation. The caption presents a dialogue about marriage and poverty: "He: AND YOU SAY WE ARE TOO POOR TO MARRY; WOULD YOU MARRY ME IF YOU WERE RICH? / She: NO, BUT I WOULD MARRY YOU IF YOU WERE RICH." This is satirical commentary on materialism and courtship—the woman's contradictory response exposes the absurdity of valuing wealth over the man himself. It mocks both romantic pretense and mercenary attitudes in marriage. **Bottom section:** Three illustrated panels showing worms emerging from a tree stump, titled "A STORY WITH A MORAL: BEWARE OF THE EARLY WORM." This is a play on the proverb "the early bird catches the worm," humorously reversing it to warn worms instead—satirizing overconfidence or miscalculated risks. The page combines social satire about courtship with wordplay humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
He: AND YOU SAY WE ARE TOO POOR TO MARRY; WOULD YOU MARRY ME IF YOU WERE RICH? She: No, BUT I WOULD MARRY YOU IF you WERE RICH, EOPLE who live in glass houses should raise early HE hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that wields vegetables for the New York markets. the slipper a few years later. A STORY WITH A MORAL. The Moral: BEWARE OF THE EARLY WORM. comicbooks.com