Life, 1892-07-28 · page 12 of 16
Life — July 28, 1892 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Satire and Social Commentary from Life Magazine This page contains several distinct satirical items: **Historical Anniversaries**: Three cartoons commemorate absurd historical "anniversaries"—the velocipede's invention (1779), a hippopotamus birth (1865), and a failed Nile exploration attempt (1865). These mock the magazine's tendency to celebrate trivial historical moments. **"Death of a Lion Tamer"**: A dark joke about workplace safety. When a lion tamer is killed, the servant Mary's concern is merely that "men are scarce"—prioritizing available bachelors over human tragedy. This satirizes callous attitudes toward labor deaths and women's limited social options. **"In Polite Society"**: A joke about social dishonesty. A man insults a woman's age, then immediately flatters her when caught. The satire targets the hypocrisy and artificial politeness of upper-class interactions. **Geological Survey Critique**: The text attacks congressional spending on the U.S. Geological Survey, claiming funds ostensibly for mapping actually create sinecures for congressmen's unemployed sons—a direct jab at political patronage and government waste.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JULY 27TH, 1779. FIRST TRIAL OF THE VELOCIPEDE. THE DEATH OF A LION TAMER. Mrs. D.: JUST THINK, MARY, HOW TERRIBLE. THE POOR MAN WAS TORN LIMB FROM LIMB. Mary: LOR’ BLESS US, MARM, AND MEN SO SCARCE ! IN POLITE SOCIETY. "T WEEDLEDUM, JR. (Co Tweedledum Sr.): By Jove, Miss Tweedledee's looking as old as her mother! MRS. TWEEDLEDEE (unexpectedly, unoblivious): Who is taking my name in vain? TWEEDLEDUM SR.: Let me hasten to plead guilty. As we were saying, Charles and I, you are looking as young as your daughter ! JULY agTH, 1865, MIPPOPOTAMUS BORN AT AMSTERDAM. T is refreshing at this time of the ear to have our at- tention directed to the ‘ cold nerve of the con- gressmen who vote the annual appropriation to the bureau which has in charge the U. S.Geo- logical Survey. This bureau spends from half a million to a million dollars a year ostensibly in making maps and sur- ; i yy _ veys which never were of use UMBUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT To EALORE THE WHITE RILE BY SOME G7 Mb ea aaa nee en ation is to make salaried S positions for the dissipated sons of EGIE finds it impossible to conduct his the congressmen who vote for the business without frick-tion. : annual steal. comicbooks.com