Life, 1892-02-25 · page 3 of 16
Life — February 25, 1892 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page Analysis This page satirizes President Harrison's alleged fondness for pie. The main cartoon depicts a wedding scene where the bride's father "sells her privately" rather than giving her away formally—a crude joke implying Harrison treats marriage as a commercial transaction, much like his appetite for pie is uncontrollable. The accompanying text mockingly compares Harrison to other famous men (Emerson, Russell, Childs) but sarcastically suggests he'll be remembered instead as a "pie-eater." The satire warns that Harrison's political opponents will use this epithet against him, despite attempts to rename him with more dignified titles like "Raum-protecting President" or "Russell-afflicted President." The small cartoon "A Small and Early" appears to illustrate a related domestic/moral failing joke.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NUMBER 478. MASSACHUSETTS con- temporary alludes to the present chief executive as “our pie-eating President from Indian- apolis.” Apparently this is intended for a contemptuous epithet. LIFE claims that this is unfair. Suppose we should speak of Emerson as “the late pie-eating philosopher of Concord ;"* or of Governor Russell as “the bean-eating governor from Boston; " or of that eminent phi- lanthropist, George W. Childs, as “the scrapple-eating obituary poet from Philadelphia.” It would be un- fair, because all of these gentlemen are noted for other qualities, just as President Harrison is. There is a saying that ‘a man becomes what he eats,” and it may follow that President Harrison will be a perfect pie for his political opponents next year, but this does not justify the use of the epithet. Speak of him, dear contemporary, rather as “ our Raum-protecting President,” or. “our Russell-afflicted President,” or “our Wanamaker-retaining Presi- dent,” but do not twit him with coming from Indianapolis, and being unable to restrain his mad passion for pie. She: THe Bride's FATHER GIVES HER AWAY, T SUPPOSE ? . He: No, He SOLD WER PRIVATELY, AY SMALL AND EARLY. comicbooks.com