Life, 1895-02-21 · page 9 of 18
Life — February 21, 1895 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 121 Analysis This page features "The Wonders of America" — two architectural engravings: **Hatworth, the residence of ex-President Harrison** (top) and **Philadelphia in summer, showing the Schuylkill River in background** (bottom). The accompanying text discusses a **literary discussion group led by Mrs. Peapod**, apparently focused on famous writers. The narrative humorously suggests that while members discuss Ibsen, Goethe, and Emerson, they lack serious literary education. A Professor Wisemore is mentioned as having taught literature for twenty years. The page concludes with a dialogue joke: "I lost my head completely. And then I kissed her!" / "I don't quite see how you managed it!" This appears to be satirical commentary on American cultural pretensions and intellectual affectation among amateur literary enthusiasts.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
i his story ** Powder and Shoulder Knots” six months later in the Daisy Chain. But we do not all of us know enough about literature to ap- preciate the writings of the gifted men and women whom I have mentioned. Indeed, I doubt if any beside the members of Mrs. Peapod’s Mental Improvement Class are really qualified to read books or discuss them. Mrs. Peapod was one of us until her husband engaged in some speculations that proved so disastrous that his money was all gone before he had time to recoup himself through the bankruptcy courts. Thereupon Mrs. Peapod started her Mutual Improvement Class, having first of all devoted nearly three months to the study of English and foreign literature. A great many of us joined, and really those meetings are perfectly de- lightful, for we take turns pour- ing tea, and have learned ever so much about lots of famous writers. Mrs, Peapod arranges them all in groups, and although we have only been with her one winter she has brought us down through Matthew Amold, and Byron, and Carlyle, and Dante, THE WONDERS OF AMERICA. HATWORTH, THE RESIDENCE OF EX-PRESIDENT HARRISON, THE WONDERS OF AMERICA. PHILADELPHIA IN SUMMER, SHOW! BACKGROUND. 'G THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER IN and Emerson, and Finkelstein— was that his name, I wonder ?— to Gilder and Goethe, and as she illustrates her talks with a magic lantern it's an easy thing for us to understand all that she tells us. I often wonder how people ever leaned anything about lit- erature before magic lanterns were invented. I'm sure they never learned as much as we do, because Professor Wisemore, who has been teaching literature in some college for the past twenty years, dropped in at the close of one of our meetings one day, and heard us talking about Ibsen and someone else, (I've forgotten who it was but I know he began with an “1” because we had just had him that day for the first time) and do you know that the professor hadn'ta word to say, but just sat there with his mouth open listening tous talk! James L. Ford. ‘© 7 LOST my head com- pletely. And then I kissed her!" “1 don't quite see how you managed it!"