Life, 1894-03-15 · page 6 of 16
Life — March 15, 1894 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 166 **"The Millionaires' Club"** section presents satirical "rules" for an exclusive club requiring members to be literate millionaires. The rules mock wealthy elites through absurd restrictions: prohibiting bunco bonds over $5 million, forbidding discussion of art/literature, requiring newspapers wrap lunch, and restricting card games to stakes under $100,000. The humor targets Gilded Age excess and the pretensions of the ultra-wealthy. **"A Triumph of Perseverance"** shows a three-panel comic of someone persistently attempting to ride a bicycle while repeatedly falling. This celebrates determination through failure—a common theme in period humor. **"The Ruling Passion"** features a Georgia murder case where the condemned prisoner, asked for last words, only requests a postponement to avoid missing watermelon season. This racial humor reflects period stereotypes. **"No Trouble About It"** is a brief joke about prohibition enforcement through drug store side doors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: THE MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB. A TRIUMPH OF PERSEVERANCE. [* conspicuous places about the recently opened Millionaires’ Club may be found 7 fastened to the wall handsome gold frames studded with ten-carat diamonds. The frames contain sheets of white silk velvet,which are embroidered with gold thread letters, making up the following set of RULES: Every millionaire who joins this club must be able to read and write. No millionaire is permitted under any circum- stances to float among his fellow members any issue of bunco bonds exceeding five million dollars in amount, Under no circumstances will any conversation about art, literature or science be permitted on the premises. No member will be permitted to bring his luncheon to the club wrapped up in a newspaper. The price of pork and other securities will be posted every few minutes. Any member who wishes more frequent information must inquire at the desk. No member who wears American made clothes will be permitted to sit at the front windows. Members will please not eat with their knives when there are outsiders present. No round games shall be played where the stakes exceed one hundred thousand dollars a corner. Members are requested not to approach the club on foot nor in a hired conveyance. Members must not swear at the club-servants, as they are all younger sons of English noblemen, Any member violating any of the above rules will be pro- hibited from using the gold soup-plates for one month. THE RULING PASSION. T the Spring term of court a Georgia darkey had been found guilty of murder, and in due course he was arraigned before the judge. “Have you anything to say why sentence should not be pronounced on you?" inquired the court. “When am hit gwineter come off, yo’ honor?” asked the prisoner. “The last week in May.” A look of disappointment swept over the prisoner's sable countenance, i “ Yo" honor,” he said, “ cain’t you pos’pone hit twel atter watermillions ? " NO TROUBLE ABOUT IT. ROHIBITIONIST: I can tell a prohibition town the minute I strike it. CITIZEN: Yes, it’s easy enough; all the drug stores have side doors. . comicbooks.com