Life, 1895-07-25 · page 10 of 14
Life — July 25, 1895 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis: Life Magazine, circa 1900s This page contains three distinct sections of satirical humor: 1. **"Placing the Responsibility"** (top): A dialogue-based cartoon about a marriage proposal, with lawyers debating blame for the unexpected engagement. The satire mocks legal procedures and courtroom language applied to romantic matters. 2. **"Surprised"** (middle): A poem by Nathan M. Levy about love and marriage, suggesting a man performed great deeds hoping to win a woman's hand—only to have her request he ask the maid to marry him instead. The humor derives from the twist ending and inverted expectations. 3. **"Little Otto"** (bottom right and text): A biographical sketch about Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince von Bismarck, emphasizing his youthful wildness and aggressive personality that foreshadowed his later political dominance. The accompanying street scene illustration shows children in poverty. The page blends romantic comedy with historical commentary typical of Life's satirical approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE : PLACING THE RESPONSIBILITY. i H E: Will you be my wife? SHE: Oh, this is such a surprise! HE: I can’t help that. It isn’t my fault that you've never heard any- thing like it before. [Awe’ FOR THE y. E: Icharge the prosecution with at- tempting to intimidate our witness, Mr. Enpec, LAWYER FOR THE PROS- ECUTION: What have we done? LAWYER FOR THE DE- ‘S Allowed his wife it him. R* 3GED HAGGARD: Blame it all, Wabbly! Dere ain't no rest for de weary nowhere, any more! WABBLY WALKER: Wat's de matter now, podner ? RAGGED HaGGaRD: W’y, I went to sleep settin’ on de fence an’ de top rail broke an’, darn it, I was obliged to fall to de ground ! SURPRISED, HE said my love she could And though I spoke my love anew not heed, She treated me but scornfully— She couldn't consent to be my What greater thing, pray, could mate Ido Until I did some noble deed Than ask the maid to marry me? Or carried out some project great Nathan M. Levy. aed LITTLE OTTO, TAKEN APRIL 30, 1816, WHEN TWO DAYS OLD, bevy fc _- ml! inp Agh THE GROWTH OF GREATNESS. XV. OTTO EpovuarD LEOPOLD, PRINCE VON BISMARCK. | Y that large and luxuriant outpouring of wild oats, which in youth is supposed to be the forerunner of certain greatness, did Bismarck first show signs of what he was to be. Once as a student he drank at a gulp two quarts of champagne, thus by one bend of the elbow challenging the respect and admiration of the entire German nation, and having obtained a “ bicycle face " through numerous duels, and acquired a wife by main force, he was fairly launched on his career, He felt very early in life that he had a 7 nto perform, but it is not on record that he looked far enough ahead to predict with certainty “Marian, | WANT TER TELL YER OXE THING, I KIN NEVER MARRY nat the time: would ‘come: when he would be; turned A GAL Wor CHEWws cum!” down” by the baby emperor of the family after he had “AVELL, wity Do: R GIVE UP YER HORRID CIGAROOTS ?” succeeded in reupholstering the throne occupied suc- “WITH US MEN IT's DIFFERENT; WE NEEDS A STIMULANT!” cessively by that precocious child's grandfather and comicbooks.com