Life, 1894-09-06 · page 5 of 16
Life — September 6, 1894 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 149 The top photograph shows an elaborate costume scene with multiple figures in ornate Asian dress, illustrating the dialogue below about confusion regarding engagements—three triplets each thinking they're engaged to the same woman. The middle section contains "WHO?" — a poem by MacGregor Jenkins posing riddles about unnamed contemporary figures: someone wealthy, recently returned from abroad, involved in politics, and praised by "tolly jeers" (likely "jolly jeers"). Without additional context, these figures remain unidentified. The bottom anecdote humorously describes a deaf and dumb mute entering a bicycle shop and purchasing a hub and spoke through pantomime—a simple slapstick joke playing on communication barriers. The right sidebar satirizes "Farmer Meadow's Position," depicting rural working-class sympathy during labor unrest, contrasting with urban sophistication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
He: BUT 1T MUST BE CONFUSING. * She; Coxrusinc! I sHOULD Say IT WAS! WHY, THESE ARE THREE TRIPLETS AND EACH THINKS HE'S ENGAGED TO HER. WHO? HO has enough of gold and more, Though never merchant-prince or broker? Who's now returned from foreign shore ? Why. Mr. Who was the prince of modern fools ? Whose mighty power daily ebbs ? Who ruins men he blindly rules ? Why, Mr. Who'll have some fences soon to fix ? Who's planting presidential seed ? Who sadly waits for ninety-six ? Why, Mr. Who's rounded out ten witty years ? Who boldly enters every strife? Who praises good and folly jeers ? Why, surely MacGregor Jenkins. DEAF and dumb mute recently went into a Broadway bicycle shop and picked up a hub and spoke. ON A STARBOARD TACK, FARMER MEADOW’S POSITION. TRANGER : Ow— wow ouch! Call off y'r dog !! FARMER MEADOW: Here Tige! Well, what business have you got here anyhow ? “I'm notramp. I'm lookin’ for work. y ‘ost me job durin’ the Chicago strike.” Oh, ho! So you was one of the fel- lows that was rioting around Chicago?” “No, sir. I was a law abidin’ striker. Them rioters wasn’t strikers; they was only sympathizers.” “Jes so. Wall, 1 don’t like y'r looks, but I won't hurt yeh, I'm a law abidin’ farmer,1 am. Look out for Tige, though, He's one o' my sympathizers.” ONES: The average Tammany poli- J tician reminds me of an educated pig. SMYTHE: Yes, except that the pig is educated,