Life, 1891-04-30 · page 5 of 14
Life — April 30, 1891 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 269 This page contains literary humor rather than political cartoons. The main content includes: **"Two Epitaphs"** - Mock epitaphs for Dr. Johnson and Jenyns, apparently mocking their character flaws through sardonic verse. **"Wather Wough"** - A brief dialogue joke about dinner guests, playing on the name "Budd." **"Important If True"** - A humorous speculation about whether Shakespeare would have revised his plays if he'd lived longer, suggesting he might have made Hamlet less tragic. **"Prolonged Agony"** - A joke about a restaurant keeper in Jersey City who lingered for twenty-four hours after dying. The illustration shows oysters with a decorative banner reading "come birds in a long farewell." This appears to accompany the dinner-related humor on the page. The overall tone is genteel Victorian-era satire focused on wordplay and literary wit rather than social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TWO EPITAPHS, ON DR. JONNSON, HERE lies poor Johnson ; reader have a care; Tread lightly, lest you rouse a sleeping bear. Religious, moral, generous and humane He was; but self-sufficient, rude and vain ; Il-bred and overbearing in dispute ; A scholar, and a Christian, and a brute. Would you know all his wisdom and his folly, His actions, sayings, mirth and melancholy ? Boswell and Thrale, retailers of his wit, Will tell you how he wrote and talked and coughed and spit. Soame Jenyns. ON SOAME JENYNS, ERE lies poor Jenyns, whose good taste and wit In Johnson emphasized the “* cough and spit,” Held cheap the sweetness of that monarch mind, And found delight in mocking at the rind ; Rude was the Doctor, yet in kindly wise ; In Jenyns, sooth, the case is otherwise, For he, whom Jenyns rudely called a‘ brute” Is all that makes important this dispute, Well had it been for Jenyns, if Aés art Supplied such lack of manners with such heart ! Rowland B. Mahany, WATHER WOUGH. ee WACIOUS,” cried Cholly, suddenly, at dinner, “ there are thirteen people at table.” “Oh, no, Mr, Budd,” whispered his fair companion, “only twelve people—and you.” OCTOR: Well, how do you feel to-day ? PATIENT: I feel as if 1 had been dead a week. Doctor: Hot—Eh? “On, Mxs, O'HALLORAN, I'M ALMOST BURSTIN’ WID Joy, I'VE NO FEARS FOR THE FUTURE OF ACHOILD WID A SUCTION ON HIM LOIKE Dis!” IMPORTANT IF TRUE, ‘© 7 WONDER if Shakespeare would have modified any of his plays if he had lived until to-day.” “No doubt of it. He would have taken Hamlet, for instance, and made a tank drama in it. Ophelia could then have suicided in full view of the audience.” PROLONGED AGONY. RIGGS: Here's an account of a restaurant keeper im Jersey City who dined in his own resturant and twenty- four hours after died. GRIGGS: What made him linger so long? comicbooks.com