Life, 1891-11-05 · page 8 of 18
Life — November 5, 1891 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "A Tale of the Rain Machine" - Life Magazine Satire This page satirizes a man named Jeremy Jonathan Joseph Jones who attempts to artificially induce rainfall during a drought by firing cannons, mortars, and shells skyward while performing various "mystic spells." The accompanying verse mockingly describes his failed experiment: despite his elaborate efforts, rain falls continuously for over a year, destroying his farm entirely. The cartoon illustrations show Jones's contraptions and the resulting chaos with oversized water balloons and destruction. The satire targets pseudoscientific "rain-making" schemes that were apparently popular in late 19th/early 20th-century America—mocking both the charlatan promoters and the public's desperate belief in such unproven methods during agricultural crises.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: A TALE OF THE RAIN MACHINE. Sa Jeremy Jonathan D Joseph Jones, The weather is far too dry. So I reckon I'll have to stir my bones, And try the effect cussive tones of con- Upon the lazy s So Jeremy Jonathan Joseph went Away to the nearest town ; And there his money quickly spent For queer contraptions, all intent To make the down, was rain. come There were cannon, and mortars, and lots of shells And dynamite by the ton ; With a gas balloon, and a chime of bells, And various other mystic spells To overcloud the sun. ‘The day was fair and the sky was bright, And never a cloud was seen ; When His biggest fuse, and screwed up tight The joints of his rain machine. my Jonathan set He fired a shot, and barely two, When the sky began to pale; But the third one brought a heavy dew, And the fourth a hurricane or two, The fifth, a storm of hail It rained all night and another day, And then for a year or more ; It flooded the farm and it spoiled the hay, And drowned poor Jeremy right away, Who couldn't stop the pour. Oh! Jeremy Jonathan Joseph Jones, Your farm was fair to see ; But now a lakelet covers your bones, And from its bosom terrific moans Are heard nocturnallee To check the weather you brewed, I've heard in vain; Until the Bureau in Washington, stirred, And stopped the flood with a single word, By just predicting rain. All efforts we: FW. C. ID you ever hear Pike's Peak?" asked the funny passenger. And a long-drawn sigh of relief went up from his fellow travellers as the gentleman from Missouri blew the smoke out of the barrel of his 45-calibre, for Pike had spoken. SECOND DEPARTURE OF THE PRODIGAL SON, A PLEASANT PLACE. R. BONDER: You're looking well, old man; must have enjoyed yourself last Summer. Yes, I did. Find a pleasant place ? Very pleasant ! Mr. BONDER: Where were you?—up in the Adirondacks ? Ep BULLW No; on the right side of the stock market. Ep BULLWE! comicbooks.com