Life, 1896-05-21 · page 3 of 20
Life — May 21, 1896 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of LIFE Magazine Page (Volume XXVII, Number 699) This page satirizes "contemporary" young educated gentlemen who misuse English grammar when discussing horses. The article humorously suggests these men don't understand proper equestrian terminology despite their education. The dark photograph at top shows what appears to be an indoor social scene, illustrating the "megacephalic contemporary" type being mocked. The dialogue quotes reference a fight between neighbors' sons—likely ordinary domestic drama treated with mock-serious tone. The sidebar illustrations show horseback riding and "The Derby Race," supporting the horse-related humor. The piece directs readers to consult the Century Dictionary for proper horse terminology, implying these educated men should know better. The satire targets pretentious young men of means whose grammatical errors reveal their actual ignorance despite claims to education.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XXVIl NUMBER 699 “THAD A FIGHT YESTERDAY WITH THE BOY NEXT DOOR,” “YES, HIS FATHER CALLED AT MY OFFICE TO-DAY ABOUT IT.” “T HOPE YOU CAME OUT AS WELL AS I DID.” A MEGACEPHALIC CONTEMPORARY. “* WHILE THERE IS LIFE THERE'S HOPE,” HERE seems to be a tendency among certain young gentlemen of education to become veterinaries."—Lire. Our vivacious contemporary seems to have gone astray grammatically ; veterinarians, if you please.—Rider and Driver. Not at all. If ‘our esteemed contemporary doesn’t know the English language as applied to horses, what does it know? “ See the Century Dictionary, page 6,743, first column, third line from top of page. . Tue Dersy RACE. comicbooks.com