Life, 1892-11-03 · page 13 of 16
Life — November 3, 1892 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Once Too Often"** (top): A husband jokes to his newlywed wife that he hasn't attended church since their wedding because "a burnt child dreads the fire"—implying his first marriage was so unpleasant it scared him away from church. The humor relies on the husband blaming his previous marriage rather than admitting religious indifference. **"How Realism Got Left"** (center): Mr. and Mrs. Creedly admire a painting called "The Sabbath Day." Mr. Creedly explains that modern realistic artists paint on-site during their subject's actual events. The satire: they can't buy this "sacred" picture because the artist would have had to desecrate the Sabbath (work on Sunday) to create it—exposing the contradiction between realistic art's methods and genteel Victorian propriety. The page also contains humorous letters from readers with comically misspelled names and text, typical of Life's satirical "children's letters" feature mocking rural and uneducated correspondents.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
> LIFE-; ONCE TOO OFTEN. HY haven't you been to church,” she said, “Since we were wed. May I inquire?” Then he replied to his one-year bride : “They say ‘A burnt child dreads the fire !""" LETTERS FOR OUR ESTEEMED JUVENILE CONTEM- PORARIES. MARMELADE, AUSTRALIA. ER CENT NICKELLESS: My momer has took you for me for two years befor I was born we have got a very cunning cat and two kitens when we feed them it is very amusing to watch our cow got her tale tore off in the brush last weak I have never had a letter in you before youre litle fren Alice (age 19). East SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETS. DEAR LITTAL SCHOOLMARM: Garpers Yung peopl your very interestin paper comes tusdays and I just grab it and rede it thrugh I think the story about the bronies and ten years in the wilds of Hoboken are just elegant I have one sister and my brother has too hoping to HOW REALISM GOT LEFT. Mrs, Creedly: OW, THOMAS, ISN'T THIS A BEAUTIFUL PICT+ ure? It 1s CALLED “THe SappatH Day.” How CALM AND PEACEFUL AND SACRED THE WHOLE SCENE. WE MUST RUY IT. Mr. Creedly: THE PICTURE 18 ALL THAT YOU SAY, MARIA; BUT YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT THESE MODERN REALISTIC ARTISTS ALWAYS WORK RIGHT ON THE SPOT AND AT THE TIME THEIR SUBJECT DEPICTS, AND WE CAN'T BUY A PICTURE THAT WAS CALLED INTO BEING BY A DESECRATION OF THE SARRATH, 255 see this in print I remane your loving little friend, Willie George Washington Lincoln Diggels (23) age. DONMANTA, CANADA. DERE SOUND A SLEEP: Your most amusin and entertainin sheet comes to hand as regular as regular as the sun exceptin may bee when the blizard i will sune be two yere old i kno a bully game take a waterin pot and let it run down a celar dore slant slanting and it makes a good imitashun of Niagrew fals only more like riffuls the government gras comishun is razing diferent kinds of grases here mostly hay-sede predominates, we have patrige for break- fast also the grip which my pa calles the winfluenzer godby youre lital frende Josie Christabel—P. S. My Granma is 102 years old (in her 2nd childhod) she sais the old children like you to J. C.—. “ AM pinched for money,” said the foot whose owner sought to win the heart of a millionaire by the beauty of her pedal extremities. ANNIVERSARY OF THE WEEK. * Goop GRACIOUS! NO WONDER MY TAIL PAINED ME SO, JUST SEE HOW LONG IT HAS GROWN IN THE LAST FEW MINUTES.” comicbooks.com