Life, 1891-04-09 · page 13 of 14
Life — April 9, 1891 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Satire Page Analysis This page contains several short satirical jokes typical of early Life magazine humor: **"A Selfish Girl"** mocks a mother who won't let her daughter visit a friend because she wants to enjoy a serenade from a college glee club herself—prioritizing entertainment over her child's social life. **"Obvious Enough"** jokes that suicides increased when the piano was invented, implying pianos drive people to despair (likely mocking both excessive sentimentality in music and the instrument's popularity). **"The Poet's Wife"** puns on "drug on the market" (unsellable), suggesting poetry sales are as worthless as actual drugs. **"Moralist vs. Politicus"** cynically contrasts Washington's honesty against political success, implying dishonesty is necessary for advancement. The remaining sketches mock Irish immigrants ("Doothian"), rejected suitors, and Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants through dialect humor. The cartoons reflect period attitudes—crude ethnic stereotyping mixed with social observation about class, courtship, and artistic failure.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Dootihan (recently imported. Trying to pull cobdle stone out of street pavement): BeGORRA, PHAT KOIND OF A COUNTHRY 13 IT WHERE THE DOGS ARE LET LOOSE AND THE STONES TIED PHAST ? A SELFISH GIRL. AUGHTER: Mother, can’t I go over to my friend, Clara's, and stay to- night ? MOTHER: Indeed, you shan’t. I heard that young Fred Falsetto tell you the College Glee Club was to come here and serenade you to-night, and you needn't think I'm going to stay here and suffer alone. The Poet's Wife: TMEY SAY THAT POETRY IS A DRUG ON THE MARKET. The Poet: NONSENSE! IF YOU'D EVER SOLD ANY POETRY AND BOUGHT ANY DRUGS YOU'D KNOW THE DIFFERENCE, OBVIOUS ENOUCH. ANKS: I never have been able to ascertain why it was that the number of suicides increased 59 per cent. in the year 1716, RANKS: Why, it was in that year that the first piano was invented. ORALIST: The fact remains that Washington never told a lie, and became President ! Pouiticus: Ah, but if he had only been a skilful liar, what might he not have become ? SYMPATHY. Bressom THE REJECTED (6¢tterly) : I wish 7 were a handsome fool. CARVER: | Poor fellow, you're not very handsome, that’s a fact. TW eran, Mr, Rosenbaum: Vat YOU GRYIN' FOR MY SOHN? V¥ YoU NoT GO OUT AND BLAY? . =" 5 ea Little Rosenbaum: VM 'PRAIT FADDER. DeRE's DOT SOLOMON'Ss BOY THICKER THAN TWO THIEVES—Three. LAYIN' ROUND DER CORNER FER TER LICK ME. comicbooks.com