Life, 1893-12-28 · page 38 of 53
Life — December 28, 1893 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three humorous domestic vignettes typical of early 20th-century American humor: **Top cartoon**: A child (Alfred) has written Santa requesting a large drum, prompting his exasperated father to complain he had to write a note requesting a Shetland pony instead—satirizing parental desperation to redirect children's destructive wishes. **Middle joke**: A young girl (Margaret) asks her father if God made him, then observes "he is doing better work now"—a child's innocent insult about his aging appearance. **Main story ("A Bachelor's Supper")**: An elderly bachelor (Mr. Valentine) surprises his longtime African American servant Clem by ordering a formal Christmas dinner for eight people at the last minute. Clem's dialect-heavy dialogue expresses disapproval, particularly when learning wine will be served "to ladies"—suggesting Valentine may be hosting women, which the proper servant finds scandalous or unseemly for his respectable employer. The humor relies on period assumptions about propriety, class relations, and servant-employer dynamics. Clem's character uses offensive racial dialect stereotyping common to the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Alfred (in bed): 1 MAD TO HAVE A BIG ONE THERE FOR SANTY CLAUS TO LEAVE ME A LITTL A pRUM! USE I WROTE ON THAT PAPER BROTHER, A SHETLAND PONY, AN’ TAKING THE NECESSARY STEPS. P® TY little Margaret was sitting on her father's knee. She held a mirror in her hand, and after viewing herself in the glass, she turned towards her stern parent and said : “Father, did God make me?” “Yes, my child,” was the reply. “Father, did God make you?” asked, after a moment's pause. “Yes, my child.” “Well, he is doing better work now, isn’t he?” she A BACHELOR’S SUPPER. HEN one man has served another for twenty years as valet, chamber-maid and errand boy he not only acquires an accurate knowledge of his master’s life and habits but he forms definite opinions as to his inner man and past career, guessed at, Old Clem knew Mr. Valentine had led a comfortable and uneventful bachelor existence during the last dozen years, He also knew, or rather had heard, that as a younger man he had tasted freely of life’s pleasures; that his youth had been jolly and his manhood genial. Now a handsome old gentleman of seventy, always courteous and sometimes merry, with a well behaved constitution and a sufficient for- tune, he was gliding gracefully down the shady side of life. Although still an occasional diner out he seldom entertained in his own apartments and Clem was naturally surprised the night before Christmas on being told to have the table set for cight people at half-past eleven. It was then nearly ten o'clock. “ But, sah, dey ain’t suppah for no eight people!” Moreover, there are few secrets he has not Never mind that, Clem.” “Never mind de suppah! places?” “That's all right, Clem; you just set the table, and put on the very best china, Put on the best we have of every- thing. It is a sudden idea of mine: a little Christmas cele- bration and I want it as perfect as possible.” Clem's dark face expressed a mild disapproval, and he asked with a touch of iron “Any wine?” “Yes, put on one bottle of that old Madeira," and then added as if to himself, * that is a ladies’ wine.” “ Ladies!" said Clem, and this time there was fearless dis- approbation in his tone. “Is der to be nuthin’ but ladies?" But Mr. Valentine seemed to be drifting off into a reverie and made no answer. Clem waited a moment, then left the room, With serious misgivings he began the preparations for what promised to be an exceptionally unsatisfying banquet. Den whar's de use in settin’ comicbooks.com