Life, 1895-12-26 · page 23 of 51
Life — December 26, 1895 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Christmas 1895 *Life* magazine page contains two pieces: **"Rescued"** is a humorous poem about a man using the mistletoe as a pretext to "rescue" a woman from danger by repeatedly warning her of the sprig overhead—a transparent excuse for romantic attention. The joke plays on the social convention of mistletoe as permission for kissing. **"Her Idea"** is a satirical story about a husband presenting his wife with a bank account as a Christmas gift, framed as promoting her independence and financial literacy. The joke's punchline—the wife saying she'd have preferred actual money—mocks both the husband's condescension (treating financial responsibility as a novelty gift for women) and suggests the wife's practical preference for direct cash over the burden of managing accounts. It satirizes the gap between progressive rhetoric about female independence and the reality of women's limited financial autonomy in the 1890s. The illustration above shows figures in formal dress in an interior setting, likely depicting the mistletoe scene.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
id git tssals, City d with ton in om 10 erican artists H.W. aim to r-color this— roduce te list t of t to rtant le. 2 4.00, james athor, scturer rkable TS. With Mac- 20, Balti- URE. Ph.D. for the _ half vith a taux. CHRISTMAS NUMBER. LIFE. = DECEMBER, RESCUED. Bexeaty the mistletoe she stood; A maid adored by me. And there was I in lovesick mood, And no one by to see, I knew that she was unaware Of that small sprig o'erhead. T told her of the danger there “Can it be so?” she said. **O, Damecles, this is thy knife ; Come, rescue me, I pray ! And on my word, I saved her life A dozen times that day. To aM. With A Merry Xsas FROM Santa Craus. HER IDEA. ERE is your Christmas present.” There was a look of great happiness on Dimple- ton’s face as he turned towards his wife and handed to her a neat rectangular package, on which her name was carelessly written in pencil. “ Yes, my dear,” he continued, as with an air of mystifica- tion his wife cut the string and examined curiously in turn a bright new pass book and check book of a well-known bank, “ for some time I was troubled to know just what to get you. Recalling the number of occasions that you have remarked that you would like to feel that you were independent, and knowing also what an excellent thing it is for a woman to “ acquaint herself with the ordinary methods of doing busi- ness, it occurred to me that it would be a nice thing to open up a bank account for your own use. I have therefore deposited a thousand dollars to your credit, Here is your bank book and your book of blank checks, and you have only to step around to the bank with me and leave your sig- nature, and the thing will be complete. There, what do you think of that for your Christmas?” “It's lovely, dear, of course,” replied Mrs. Dimpleton, look- ing at him somewhat vaguely, as she absently turned over the leaves of the check book, “ and yet, do you know, I think I would rather have had the money.” Tom Masson,