Life, 1894-07-12 · page 13 of 20
Life — July 12, 1894 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon ("Able to Collect"):** A husband boasts to friends that he won a bet from his wife—wagering "three nights off next month" against "a dozen orange spoons." The joke reflects contemporary attitudes about marital relations and domestic disputes, suggesting husbands could wager conjugal privileges as casually as material goods. The "orange spoons" detail suggests the wife's materialism. **"Light from the Outside":** An article critiquing the U.S. Congress, quoting Australian observer C.H. Spence. The satire attacks lawyer-dominance in legislatures (two-thirds of Congress), claiming lawyers obstruct reform by invoking "unconstitutional" objections and serve corporate interests better than actual businesspeople. The piece argues practical, industrial people should represent themselves rather than rely on lawyers. **Lower Cartoons:** Brief joke exchanges—one about Chinese foot-binding (the cook's explanation), another about stolen kisses in a tunnel (wordplay on who initiated the kiss). These are light social humor typical of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ABLE TO COLLECT. “YOU SEEM IN GOOD HUMOR, OLD MAN.” “Yes, I'VE JUST WON A BET FROM MY WIF “* POOH, SHE WON'T PAY IT.” bab HE WILL, I BET HER THREE NIGHTS OFF, NEXT MONTH, AGAINST A DOZEN ORANGE SPOONS.” LIGHT FROM THE OUTSIDE. MERICANS have been realizing of late that their National Congress in its present development is a dangerous luxury. The toy pistol is nothing to it. The toy pistol maims or kills but one individual at a time, whereas Congress not only paralyzes the trade, commerce and financial prosperity of an entire continent, but sits on them and keeps them down for an indefinite period. It is a conundrum how so many vaccilating, irresponsible and unbusinesslike persons happen to herd together at one time under the dome of the capitol, and we are glad to see aclever outsider has thrown a little light on the subject. The following is from “An Australian's Impressions of America,” by Miss C. H. Spence, in the July number of Harper's Magazine: Nowhere in the world has a single profession—that of law— taken the preponderance it has in American legislatures. Of eighty-five Senators in session, fifty-eight. or more than two- thirds, are lawyers ; of three hundred and fifty-six Representatives, two hundred and twenty-nine, or close on two-thirds, are of the same profession, I cannot but look on this preponderance as obstructive to all reform. The second or third rate lawyers, to whom a political career is tempting, are somewhat hide-bound and technical, and America needs radical reforms. If any good idea is proposed to be enacted, the cry that it is unconstitutional springs up and chokes it. Besides, lawyers are the most service- able tools which the mighty corporations, rings and trusts can employ. They are more vaiuable in the Senate and in the House than the men actually interested could be themselves, The vested interests which legislation can further or check are well known to be cared for by skilled deputies in both Houses. It appears a most inadequate representment of the great in- dastsious, agricultural, manufacturing, commercial, practical and ingenious people to have one-third of its legislators to represent all these varied activities, and two-thirds to represent law. And, by a curious paradox, the actual laws of the country are worse carried out than in other communities where lawyers furnish a moderate percentage of the law-makers. WANTED NO INTERFERENCE. RS. DE FASHION (¢o her new Chinese cook): John, why do the Chinese bind the feet of their women? JOHN: So they not trottee ‘round kitchen and botheree cook, CUPID CLEARED OF THEFT. AS that you, sir, who stole a kiss from my daughter in that tunnel ? On the contrary, some one got one from me.” “ “No. comicbooks.com