Life, 1893-12-28 · page 46 of 53
Life — December 28, 1893 — page 46: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical sketches typical of early Life magazine's humor: **"In Africa"**: A soldier in extreme heat complains that well-meaning relatives send wool comforters for Christmas—absurd gifts for a 150-degree climate. The satire mocks both sentimental home-front gestures and the disconnect between donors' intentions and recipients' actual needs. **"The Centre of Gravity"**: Two lawyers discuss a deceased colleague who wrote "Every Man His Own Lawyer." The joke: his greatest contribution to the profession was encouraging laypeople to represent themselves, thereby ensuring ongoing legal business. **"Christmas Festivities"**: A boss assigns workers to transform famous historical/religious figures (Ben Franklin, Pontius Pilate) into department-store Christmas decorations and Santa Claus. This satirizes commercialized Christmas and how retail strips serious figures of meaning for profit. All three sketches mock American society's absurdities—thoughtless generosity, professional self-interest, and commercialism—through gentle humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
IN AFRICA. 150° in the Shade. Absent Son: 1 SUPPOSE THEY MEAN W put I po wisH THEY WOULDN'T ALL SEND ME WOOLEN COMFORTERS FOR MY CHRISTMAS. — = So = She: 1 AM GLAD YOU HAVE MADE SUCH A Goop BUST. A MAN SHOULD ALWAYS DO 1118. BEST. Young Sculptor: \ DON'T THINK So. IF YOU DON'T DO . YOUR BEST AND YET DO FAIRLY WELL YOU CAN CET FaR RIEF: There goes the greatest benefactor our profession ever had. BRIEF: No; he wrote “ Every Man His Own Lawyer.” WELL YOU COULD HAVE DONE IF YOU HAD REALLY TRIED. CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES. “THE BOSS SAYS THAT AFTER YOU'VE TURNED BEN FRANKLIN INTO WING. LippeD-PIGEON, YOU'RE TO TAKE THIS PONTIUS PILATE AN’ MAKE A SANTY CLAvs oF HIM!” THE CENTRE OF GRAVITY. comicbooks.com