Life, 1894-05-10 · page 9 of 16
Life — May 10, 1894 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 305 This page contains two satirical pieces: **Top section**: A taxi driver complains about Friday being unlucky, claiming he knocked over reporters at the Astor House. He boasts about deliberately hitting matinee-going women on Saturdays, hoping to eventually injure them seriously enough to keep them off the streets. **Bottom section ("Sweet Charity's Work")**: A sketch mocks charity distribution, showing an applicant (former baker, now destitute) seeking bread assistance. Various figures offer ineffective "remedies"—whisky, pills—instead of actual aid. The caption "Do you think she is marrying him for *protection*? Oh no; for *revenge* only" suggests dark commentary on poverty-stricken marriages. Both pieces satirize indifference to suffering: the taxi driver toward pedestrians, and charity workers toward genuine need. The satire highlights callousness toward vulnerable populations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* LIFE: costs more money lets the gripman start and stop the car without jerking folks off their feet. That's the kind they use in Chicago and San Francisco. 1 tell you these folks who live in New York are the worst suckers I ever did see. FRIDAY, This is my un- lucky day, Friday always is. Didn't do a thing but knock over a couple of re- porters in front of the Astor “S. House. They said they'd = write me up, but I know the company is solid with the newspapers, so what do I care? SATURDAY. Them matinee girls drive me crazy blocking up the cross-walks, I run her slow to-day and only spoiled their clothes when I bunked into them, but some day I'll smash up three or four of them and then perhaps they'll learn to keep out of my way. Of course I could ring the “Do YOU THINK SHE IS MARRYING HIM FOR PROTECTION *” “On, NO; FOR REVENUE oxty.” gong when there's a chance of running into some one, but what's the good? People might learn to get out of the way if they didn’t get rattled, and then where would my fun be ? Metcalfe. SWEET CHARITY’S WORK. PPLICANT: My family are starving, and I am obliged to apply for help. DISTRIBUTOR (Free Bread Fund): I have not seen you before. APPLICANT: No, madam. used to be a baker, but all my customers have been getting their bread here all winter, and I've just been sold out by the sheriff. ~ MITH: Ican give you a good pre- scription for your cold. KOFFMAN : is it? MITH: A whisky. LUSHINGTON: I can give you a better one. KOFFMAN = is it? LUSHINGTON: A great deal of whisky. se Y E aid the worm, “ when the Spring bills begin to come, it’s all up with me.” What little What