Life, 1892-11-24 · page 11 of 22
Life — November 24, 1892 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page contains a three-panel comic strip (by Fox Beard, per the signature) depicting a physical fight between two working-class men, ending in reconciliation and a handshake. The narrative describes an accident where one man was injured—"run through a planing mill"—resulting in a sling and limp. The satire mocks how trivial the actual cause of their conflict is. The man tries to stop a domestic dispute in his building, gets hurt, and blames his neighbor for the accident. The joke culminates in a temperance lecturer and bar manager debating whether the town's "Horrible Example" (the injured man, presumably) being sober proves temperance works—absurdly attributing his condition to sobriety rather than his actual accident.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
—Torn Bent where your stomach sticks out. We'll fix that, too. the coat, sir? It is a beautiful garment.” By this time Reggy was the maddest man south of Canal street. Will you take D OF YOURS IS VERY FAMILIAR. HE BACK AND CALLED ME ‘OLD MAN.” TOLD ME. HE SAID HE HAD FORGOTTEN SLAPPED ME ON She: Sov YOUR NAME, “Tt may be a ‘ beautiful garment,’ but you can keep it.” he said disgustedly, as he tore off the coat and threw it on the pile.“ By Jove, I wouldn't take it as a gift!” The poor salesman tried to insinuate that it was “a gift” at twenty-five dollars. But Reggy brushed him aside. “ Keep your coat!” he cried as he passed by him. “Keep it until you find some blasted contortionist that will fit it!” THE CAUSE OF HIS TROUBLE. H E had two plasters on his face, one on the back of his head, his arm was in a sling and he limped. “You look as if you had been run through a planing mill,” was the remark he was greeted with. “T feel so,” he replied. “ Been calling any one a liar?” “No.” . to kick a tramp out of the back yard?” “ Wife leave a pail of water on the stairs ?” “ Well, what is the matter?” “1 tried to stop a family quarrel in the next flat.” MPERANCE LECTURER: What is the matter? Why don't you ring up ? MANAGER: We can’t get a drop of liquor in the whole town and the Horrible Example is dead sober. comicbooks.com