Life, 1896-01-09 · page 18 of 20
Life — January 9, 1896 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three humor pieces satirizing working-class speech and social pretension: 1. **"An Item of Interest"**: Daisy McNamara struggles to read aloud a description of a bride's wedding outfit, mangling sophisticated vocabulary ("russick green mysterial," "pints of cream lace," "purkle feathers"). The joke mocks lower-class attempts to discuss upper-class fashion using unfamiliar, pretentious language—the "key" below translates her malapropisms into correct terms. The chorus approves anyway, satirizing how people often admire things they don't understand. 2. **Artemus Ward anecdote**: A child calls the governor a "gay and festive cuss," amusing his father. Simple humor about childish frankness. 3. **Reverend Timmins story**: An inexperienced clergyman, advised to hire a servant for a country visit, brings a maid-servant—missing the social convention of hiring a *male* servant. He's then coldly received, satirizing both his naïveté and upper-class social codes. The page also contains period advertisements for cocktails and a hearing device, typical of *Life*'s mixed content format.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AN ITEM OF INTEREST. Daisy McNamara (reading deliberately and with great difficulty): ‘THE BRIDE'S GOIN’ AWAY GOWND 18 OF RUSSICK GREEN MYSTERIAL, COVETED WITH PINK TARNATIONS IN PU DOOR EFFECK WITH PINTS OF CREAM LACE, OVER THIS IS WORN A JACKICK TRIMMED WITH IMPURE LACE AND A citi KILLIN CAPE AN’ HER HAT IS A DARK YA TRIMMED WITH PURKLE FEATHERS! General Chorus: OW IT'S TOO LOVERLY FOR ANYTHINK! (KEY TO THE AnOVE)— The bride's going away gown is of russet green material, covered with pink carnations in pompadour effect, with points of cream lace; over this is worn a jacket trimmed with guipure lace, and a chinchilla cape, and her hat is a dark yellow trimmed with purple feathers: ARtEeMUs Warp, when in London, gave a children’s party. One of John Tut Reverend Anthony Timmins, though a very’ excellent person, was Bright's sons was invited, and returned home radiant. ‘Oh, papa,” he ex- plained, on being asked whether he had enjoyed himself, “indeed I did. And Mr. Brown gave me such a nice name for you, papa.” “What was that?” ‘Why, he asked me how that gay and festive cuss the governor was!" re- plied the boy.—Pittsburg Bulletin. scarcely au fait with the manners and customs of society. Having received a invitation to stay for a day or so at a big country house, he went to ask his frien! De Vere's advice. ‘You must take a servant,” said De Vere; “everybody does.” Mr. Timmins took bis friend at his word—and took one of his maid-servants to the country house. He does not yet understand the coolness of his receptice there.— Pittsburg Bulletin. KE LUB~ T eauens MANHATTAN, MARTINI, WHISKEY, HOLLAND GIN, TOM GIN, VERMOUTH and YORE. We guarantee these Cooktails to be made of absolutely pure and well matured liquors and the mixing equal to the best cocktails served over any bar in the world, Being compounded in accurate proportions, they will always be found of uniform quality. Connoisseurs agree that of two cocktails made of the same material and propor- 7} tions, the one which is aged must be better. Try our YORK sant dai without any sweetning. dd or sale on the Dining and Buffet Cara of the principal rail U.8. AVOID queens: For Sale by all Druggists and Dealers, G. F. HEUBLEIN & BRO., Sole Props., 69 Broadway, N. Y., Hartford, Conn. 20 Piccadilly, W. London, Eng. uve Licquor Low Urge, Got? Lape, “SEC BRUT ARE YOU DEAF? DON'T YOU WANT TO HEAR? comicbooks.com