Life, 1892-03-31 · page 9 of 18
Life — March 31, 1892 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 199 Analysis This page contains **"Life's Charades"**—riddle-style wordplay puzzles common to the era. The three charades use fragmented clues to describe things: 1. A printer's measure, sweetheart, and fence = "INTENSE" 2. A butcher's tool, something that hurts pedals, and relates to the President = "JIMMY" (likely President Jimmy Carter-era reference) 3. References to slaying a giant, stinging, and defiance = "DAVID" The accompanying sketches and photographs (including one labeled "Cutting a Swell") illustrate theatrical or social scenes typical of Life's satirical humor. The final dialogue joke mocks aging: when asked if Miss Spinsterre is old, the response is she's "got past her declining years"—dark humor about female aging and unmarriageability. These represent common early 20th-century magazine entertainments mixing wordplay with social satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ALL IN HIS EYE." LIFE'S CHARADES. 1 Y first it is a printer's measure. My second, sweetheart, is a treasure, My third in England stands for pence, My whole on Broadway is intense. ANSWER.—1, Em. 2. You. 3. d. Whole—Mud. uM. My first’s a burglar’s implement, My second hurts my pedals, My whole is not the President, But in his business meddles. ANSWER.—1. Jimmy. 2. Blain. Whole.—Jimmie Blaine. mL My first once slew a giant, My second loves to sting. My third doth rise defiant, My whole has had his fling. ANSWER.—1. David. 2. Bee. 3. Hill. Whole.—The Professional Politician, “CUTTING A SWELL.” “Youno SHIMMER SEEMS TO HAVE THE INSIDE TRACK, CHOLLY ; RETURSED YOUR LOVE ““YA-AS, SHE DOES WHEN I SEND IT TO HER IN MY LETTERS.” I THOUGHT SHE E: And is Miss Spinsterre so very old ? SHE: Well, she has got past her declining years. comicbooks.com