Life, 1892-12-08 · page 13 of 16
Life — December 8, 1892 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine, Page 337: Social Commentary Through Cartoons This page contains two satirical pieces mocking American society circa the 1870s-80s. **Top cartoon**: An infuriated husband complains to his wife about her lover in Chicago. She sweetly responds she'd "kill two birds with one stone" by adding the lover's name to his funeral notice in Chicago papers—a cutting jab at both men's expense. The joke satirizes marital infidelity among the wealthy and the casual cruelty upper-class women could deploy. **"Anniversary of the Week" cartoon**: Depicts "Tweed Escapes" (likely referencing Boss Tweed, the corrupt NYC politician). The illustration shows officials or guards, apparently commemorating or discussing a notable jailbreak. **Main article (by Metcalfe)**: Critiques New York theater management and audiences. Metcalfe argues NYC theatrical producers manipulate public curiosity through advertising and scandal-mongering to carry mediocre plays through their runs. He portrays New York audiences as intellectually sheep-like, easily swayed by herd mentality rather than genuine merit—a biting commentary on urban culture and consumer manipulation.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LIFE- Infuriated Husband : WISH ME DEAD AND BURIED, FORE YOU WOULD SEND WORD TO THAT FOOL YOURS IN CHICAGO TO COME ON. She (sweetly): HARDLY AS LONG AS THAT, DEAR Jack. 1 SHOULD PROBABLY KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, BY SIMPLY ADDING TO YOUR FUNERAL NOTICE Chicago papers please copy. ToM USED TO NE SO QUICK IN TAKING HINTS. Yrs, TALK ON, TALK ON! I KNOW you It WOULDN'T BE SIX MONTHS BE- OF A LOVER OF ANNIVERSARY OF THE WEEK. TWEED ESCAPES. 337 conclude that the Misery is running its regular card, but is not spending anything extra. When further on you find a third of a column devoted to the peculiar dancing of some imported person at a beer hall you may safely infer that the beer gentlemen know where to put their money to advantage. Now comes the second week and the public, stimulated by the bill-boards and the puffs, is beginning to bite. The curiosity and ennui of New Yorkers together with the out-of- town people who get their tips about dramatic things from all sorts of unreliable sources have carried many a bad play over its second week. Then come more puffs, stories about stolen diamonds and elopements of the ladies of the company, with quick denials, and last of all, the “souvenir night.” When your newspaper informs you that ‘On Thursday, souvenirs will be given away to commemorate the nineteenth performance of * Willie Winkie’ you know the piece is a success, and you are not in the swim if you do not see it he theatrical manager, and wisely, goes on the theory that the New York public is a fool public, and like a herd of sheep goes bodily whichever way it starts to turn. For this purpose public curiosity is quite as valuable as public in- terest in turning the crowd. Therefore it very often happens that a play is carried through a moderate run simply from the curiosity of the crowd to see what others have seen. New York possesses a good many social cowards who are afraid to say they have not seen anything that 1s going and whose money helps largely to boom bad plays. The further New York run of the piece is prolonged accord- ing to the finances of the management or to the time necessary to give it the stamp of New York approval for the road. Is it strange that some fairly good pieces are never heard of after their first production? Or that some very bad ones. after having buncoed a few curious New Yorkers, go on the road and cause provincials to ask what sort of dramatic criti- cism prevails in New York, or why the New York judgment in matters dramatic should ever be accepted ? Metcalfe. The Cler oF cHax Traveler (in a whisper): AIN'T NOGA KNOW THE FIRST PRINCIP yman; MY FRIEND, WHY PO YOU INDULGE IN GAMES Mum's THE WORD, PARDNER, Tits THE DUCK I'M PLAYING WITH DON'T THE LES OF AMES comicbooks.com