Life, 1894-07-05 · page 5 of 16
Life — July 5, 1894 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis The top cartoon depicts a domestic scene where a man presents papers to his wife, with the caption referencing "blessing" and examining a "hash." This appears to be satirizing marital financial discussions. The main article "CONSISTENT" criticizes Republican politician **Hawbaw** (or similar name) for writing sarcastic jokes about ex-President **Harrison** to earn money, calling this hypocritical. The piece argues that sarcastic political commentary—while potentially profitable—is inconsistent with serious Republican principles. The "EXPLOSIVE MANNER" cartoon below shows a figure amid chaotic imagery, likely illustrating the disruptive nature of such partisan satire. The final brief dialogue jokes about someone named Smith refusing to lend a cigar, playing on the theme of self-interest. The page satirizes American political hypocrisy and mercenary motivations in political writing during what appears to be the late 19th or early 20th century.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Righteous Wife (at breakfast: HENRY, WILL YOU ASK A BLESSING ? Henry (examining hash): WE'VE BLESSED EVERYTHING HERE BEFORE, DEAR. AN EXPLOSIVE MANNER, CONSISTENT. RIMES: Now, look here, Hawhaw! Do you think it exactly consistent in you, a Republican, to write sarcastic jokes about ex-President Harri- son, simply because you can make a few paltry dollars by so doing ? Mr. HAWHAW (a professional humorist): Why,certainly. I wrote Mr. Harrison, the other day, that if he could make any money by writing sarcastic jokes about me to feel perfectly free to do so. HIS is from an English paper : One feels when reading an account of the horrors perpetrated in the vivisec- tionist’s laboratories that if these experimentalists would leave the lower animals (as they are called) alone and would vivisect cach other, society and science would be all the better for the change, and what is now sickening literature, and nothing else, would become in the hands of a graphic chronicler as interesting as the account of a trial for murder in France or a description of a Chinese execution. There is an excellent idea in this, and if there is a movement on foot 9 have it put in practice, LIFE may be counted ¢ on to lend a hand, ONES: So Smith gave you a cigar? Brown: Yes, but I was in luck. ther of us had a match.