Life, 1895-12-26 · page 5 of 51
Life — December 26, 1895 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 411 This page contains three separate humor sections: **"Belinda's Poor Taste"** features a poem about a street urchin named Belinda, mocking her shabby appearance and worn rubber boots—typical class-based Victorian humor targeting the poor. **"Fun in Cambridge"** describes medical school experiments at Harvard, detailing vivisection tests on rabbits and dogs. The text presents these procedures matter-of-factly, reflecting early 1890s attitudes toward animal research with no ethical concern—practices now considered cruel. **"Snide Talks with Girls"** offers satirical etiquette advice to women on topics like ice cream, kerosene, engagement rings, and social comportment. It reflects period gender stereotypes and arbitrary social rules governing women's behavior. The cartoons throughout illustrate these satirical scenarios with period-appropriate sketches, using humor to comment on class, scientific practices, and social conventions of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: BELINDA’S POOR TASTE. ELINDA'S at the corner— Belinda smiles sedately, The street is like a stream ; And when across she scoots The chappies’ eyes upon her The chappies view irately, With expectation beam. Belinda’s rubber boots. FUN IN CAMBRIDGE. ARVARD COLLEGE may occupy a back seat in athletics but she is well to the front in vivisection, and it is evident Professor Porter and his students have jolly times at the medical school. Here are a few scraps from his own record of indoor sports : Exp. LXVI. Nov. 20, 1894. Rabbit, lightly narcotized with ether. Left phrenic nerve was seized near the first rib and torn out of the chest. # # # | have made such experiments on thirteen rabbits and one dog, and the result has 5 always been the same. Exp. I. Dec. 19, 1893. The fourth ventricle was laid bare in a large, lightly chloralized rabbit, and the floor of the left side of the median line burned away with small hot glass beads, Res- piration continued on both sides, in spite of repeated cauterization. Exp. LI. May 3, 1894. At 10.30 a middle-sized dog received 0.2 gr. morphia. Half an hour later the left half of the spinal cord was severed. * * * Animal being loosed, showed a paralysis on the left side. ‘And every lover of animals will be glad to hear that “at 4.30 the dog was bound again and the abdomen opened.” Good for you, Professor! You did a clever thing. And just think what you have contributed to human knowledge ! You have demonstrated conclusively that science can make life an inex- pressible Hell for any friendless animal that comes your way. ART NOTE. THe HANGING COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY DECIDED TO PLACE HIM ON THE LIN ty Wied “WAIT THERE AND I'LL BRING YOU SOME SANDWICHES. ‘THANK YER, LADY; SHALL I HOLD DE KID FER YE?” SNIDE TALKS WITH GIRLS. BY RUTH MASHMORE, BIRDIE B., Bloomingdale—I would certainly advise ice- cream for the neck and arms rather than mucilage, which on some people seems to cause a sticky skin. (2) It is not considered good form to eat soup with a sponge. Trilby A. J.—Alwaystoein. Queen Victoria does so, it is said, and there is no reason why you should not acquire it in time. (2) Kerosene is not a popular flavoring for frozen- pudding. Try Vaseline next time. Thank you for your kind words. Perplexed Fiancée—Cobble stones are hardly the ap- propriate stones for engagement rings. (2) Never use soft coal on your.face. I myself prefer sandpaper and whipped cream twice a week. (3) If a married man gives you a kiss, give it back immediately. Quite 4 Young Thing, Boston—It is not customary in the best society to eat pie with a ladle. Use your eye- glasses or sugar-tongs. (2) A married lady would have “* Mrs. John Smith " on her cards unless her name happened to be Mrs. Ami Green, Mrs. A. J. J.—Turkey-red calling-cards are no longer in vogue east of the Rocky Mountains. (2) There would be no impropriety whatever when calling to ask for a drink of water—that is, except in Kentucky. (3) I have never had my picture taken. Bright Eyesand Others—I agree with you, my dears, that a homely girl is infinitely more attractive to the average map than a pretty one. (2) If itis to be an evening wedding in church, the bridesmaids should wear vari-colored bicycle suits, cut decolleté and en traine, and should carry red lights. (3) I'm proud to call you * My Girls.” $s. C.—Send ten cents in stamps and five dollars for postage for a copy of the Novembuary number of the “Old Ladies’ Home Journal,” containing Miss Mashmore's article on “ How to be Homely Though Pretty." Thank you for your kind words.