Life, 1896-04-09 · page 13 of 20
Life — April 9, 1896 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces mocking contemporary life: **"Love on Links"** (top): Cartoon series showing couples on bicycles near shops. The bicycle craze of the 1890s was transforming courtship and social customs. The humor lies in depicting bicycles as enabling romantic encounters in public spaces—a relatively scandalous development for the era, as it allowed unchaperoned young people mobility and independence. **"The Books I Ought to Read"** (middle): A poem lampooning educated guilt—the common middle-class anxiety of owning "important" unread books on dusty shelves, while actually preferring lighter entertainment. It satirizes pretentious self-improvement culture. **"Farmer Underdunn's Weather Report"** (bottom): Absurdist humor mocking New York City weather forecasts and urban life through impossible predictions (icebergs in Herald Square, toads from the sky). The final crack about the Brooklyn Bridge sinking "amid the glad cries of multitudes" is cynical social commentary on public frustration with the city.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LOVE ON LINKS. THE BOOKS | OUGHT TO READ. N dusty shelves in serried rows they stand, Reproachful thousands, quaint and grave and great; My guilty conscience feels their mute command, Yet day by day—they wait. More formidable grow their ranks each year, Their very names I cannot call to mind; A friend amid this chaos would, I fear, Be very hardtofind. But to a corner shelf, by most forgot, I steal, and give reproach no further heed *Mid boon companions all—yet these are not The books I ought to read. Abbie Farwell Brown. FARMER UNDEROUNN’S WEATHER REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING APRIL 16th, 1896. LBANY, April 9th. The storm which has been working its way toward this city passed over here in the direction of Ellerslie farm, where it burst and sped on towards New York, accompanied by eight cyclones, causing great destruction and loss of whiskers. For New York and surrounding districts, heavy Raines Thursday, Friday and Saturdiy, Sollowed on Sunday by great drought, with high humidity in Brooklyn and Jersey City. On Monday a dead calm, increasing tn velocity toa zephyr, accompanied by hail and hot showers, will be felt in Harlem. On Tuesday floating icebergs will be dis- covered in Herald Square and vicinsty, and boiling water- Spouts, with showers of toads, will burst through the dome of the * World” buil 4 § Wednesday will'open with a eauy fog in City Hall Park, a teagreen halo around ess] Mayor Strong, and pink snakes discovered later in the Hoffman House cafe. On Thursday books may be seen in the Astor Library wrth the naked eye, the statues in Cen- tral Park will break away from their moorings, accom- panted by loud claps of thunder, and the Brooklyn Sree will sink out of sight amid the glad cries of the multitudes waiting to cross. comicbooks.com