Life, 1896-05-21 · page 5 of 20
Life — May 21, 1896 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 405 This page contains several brief satirical pieces and illustrations typical of Life's humor section. **"Fables for the Times"** features a large illustration of a cat idol being kicked by a man, with a dog observing. The accompanying fable "The Idol and the Ass" satirizes blind superstition—the man destroys a brass idol to disprove superstition, but a dog mocks his effort, suggesting people cling to false beliefs regardless of evidence. **Other sections** include short jokes about corporate accountability ("Queer"), employment credentials ("Good Credentials"), and social awkwardness with babies ("Sure of One Fact"). A small cartoon labeled "Dropped onto a Good Thing" depicts a figure that appears to have fallen into machinery. The page exemplifies Life's style: brief, punchy social satire through dialogue and illustration, targeting contemporary attitudes and human folly.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LIFE: THE DIFFERENCE. FABLES FOR THE TIMES. O kiss a Miss is not amiss, It means an almost certain bliss ; No other way is sure but this: To miss a kiss is guite amiss. QUEER. CURIOUS thing about some large stock companies is that when they commit a crime no one is ever responsible. The man who did it was under orders, the man who is immediately over him refers to another man, who is out of town, ete., etc. Thus it is almost impos- sible to get on to the curves of the Metropolitan Traction Company and Society for Nervous Prostra- tion. When one of its Chambers of Horror is the scene of another tragedy the poor wretches in charge testify that they are obliged to make the round trip in a certain time or otherwise get ‘‘ dished.” The occult reason for this rule is not any more apparent the higher up we go. All we know is that Vreeland is President and reigns over all, - GOOD CREDENTIALS, MPLOYER: We want a sound, able-bodied man. AppLicanT: Well, sir, I've drawn a pension for the past twenty years. Rosy at I? is not easy to lose a bad reputation, THE IDOL AND THE ASS. AY ass felt it his duty to destroy superstition, so he went up to the brass idol in the market place and gave it a vigorous kick. A dog came to him as he lay groaning on the ground, nursing his broken leg, and said: ‘‘ Well, did you prove anything?” “Nothing,” said the other. ‘Except that I am an ass.” Deductions to be drawn. Any old thing. H.W. Phillips. SURE OF ONE FACT. OUNT GOLBRICK: Didn't I meet you at the Casino in Monte Carlo last winter? NursepD: Couldn't say; somebody did. $67 WISH I knew how to act when I meet a baby. I always feel like a fool.” “DROPPED ONTO A GOOD THING.” “All you have to do is to act the way you feel.” comicbooks.com