Life, 1893-03-30 · page 9 of 28
Life — March 30, 1893 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 203 This page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **"An Old Gentleman and His Helpers"** (left): A dialogue mocking a wealthy elderly man who obsessively tracks finances—studying ticker tape, stock quotations, and newspaper reports. The satire suggests his money will eventually support "idle gentlemen" (unemployed aristocrats) in Europe rather than benefit anyone purposefully. The joke critiques both his obsessive moneymaking and the ironic outcome: accumulating wealth merely to subsidize European leisure classes rather than productive use. **"Small Chance"** and related dialogue (right): References to contemporary figures (Chauncey Depew, Elliot F. Shepard) and events (Prince of Wales visit, Dog Show) satirize wealthy New York society. The three illustrated gentlemen appear to represent idle-rich types. The satire suggests American wealth paradoxically supports maintaining existing European aristocratic breeds rather than developing American society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE: 203 AN OLO GENTLEMAN AND HIS HELPERS. SMALL CHANCE. ILLIS: That young man who plays the cornet is sick. WALLACE: Do you think he will recover ? “I'm afraid not. The doctor who is attending him lives next door,” RIMUS: Chicago is getting ahead of New York. She's going to have the Prince of Wales at her Fair. SECUNDUS: Huh, wait and see! Chauncey Depew has invited the Pope to the next Dog Show! LLIOT F.SHEPARD is probably the only stage man- ager in New York who has never had anything that 4 would run. HAT an industrious old man it is! Yes, a very diligent old person, truly. How he figures! And computes! And bends his brows over the ticker tape ! And meditates over the stock quotations in the newspaper! He must be at work at something of im- portance. Oh, of great importance. An essay perhaps on political economy ! Ho! ho! ha! ha! What then? A fortune. Is the old man really making a fortune ? No les: And will it be a big one? Thumping big. And how does he go about it? He is an inventor, and puts money_where it will do the most good. To him? No! To whom then? To itself. Where it will pile up fastest ? Exactly. And when he gets enough, will he spend the income ? No; that is not ‘his end of the business. He has no talent that way. But someone will. On whom then is the joke ? Yes, in time. On the rest of us who live to see the indigenous fortunes our cormorants Who? accumulate, spent in coddling the unemployed gentlemen of the British and Mere ladies and gentlemen ! foreign nobility. Does the old man know that his money And have we any solace ? will support all these idle people? Not a great deal! Oh, no; he does not dream of it. Little then ? It is a joke on him, isn’t it. This much perhaps: that if American money is to coddle idle-gentlemen No, not on him. anywhere, it is better that it should keep up the breed that exists already Why not ? in Europe, than hasten the development of a new one here. Because he will have the fun of accumu- But that is rather cold comfort, is it not. lating the money ; that is all he cares for. Yes ; pretty cold. aoe a Oo se comicbooks.com