Life, 1896-06-04 · page 12 of 20
Life — June 4, 1896 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page Analysis (circa 1896) This page contains several short satirical pieces typical of Life's humor: **"Reconciled"** jokes about temperature extremes—a New Yorker finds relief in a stable climate, contrasting unstable conditions elsewhere. **"A Good Reason"** presents a child's excuse note with misspellings ("plese," "oblige"), humorously depicting working-class parental literacy. **The Artillery Company piece** references the "Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Boston" visiting London, jokingly suggesting the trip is so dangerous members deserve Congressional medals for surviving it. **"A Prophet Before His Time"** references poet James Whitcomb Riley's line "June wants me," then jokes that President William McKinley similarly "feels that way"—likely a veiled political criticism about McKinley's policies or character. **The bicycle statue restoration** describes a famous sculptor reinterpreting an ancient female statue, sarcastically claiming the "new light" finally explains its mysterious pose and meaning—essentially mocking over-interpretation of classical art.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*-LIFE: RECONCILED. LUTO: Youseem rather pleased with your quarters here. New Yorker: Thank Heaven, I've reached a place at last where the temperature is stationary. A GOOD REASON. OHNNY had not been at school Monday afternoon, so when he came on Tuesday morning the teacher sent him home to get a written excuse from his mother explaining his absence. After about an hour he returned with ink on his fingers and a somewhat soiled note which read as follows: ‘* Miss Brown plese (7 excuse Johnny for not being to school yesterday I could not 1) come because I tore my pants and oblige Mrs J Smith.” Ke Zp T is probable that the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Com- 4 pany of Boston will have the most momentous time in Lon- ‘ don of any company that ever went on a visit. It is at least = thirty years since any body of American soldiers, regular or otherwise, has em- barked on an errand so gorged with pos- sibilities of extinction as this trip these ven- turesome Bostonians have planned. Every man of them who lives to get home and survives for a year and a day afterwards should receive a med- A PROPHET BEFORE HIS TIME. al from Congress. wes Whitcomb Riley did declare That ‘June wants me and I'm to spare,” He dreamed not of the present day When Bill McKinley feels that way. “N° wonder my ribs are always so plainly in evidence!" soliloquized the umbrella, morosely, ‘* people invariably strike me for a raise ona rainy day!” ENCOURAGING. HEELMAN: Can you Copyright, 1896, by Mircuxit @ MILLER. tell me how far it is to NEW LIGHT ON AN OLD SUBJECT. Dooganville ? HIS restoration by a famous sculptor of the Biclo-Archzological school, THE Native: Nigh ‘bout throws a new light on the true meaning of this immortal statue. The whole ten mile; but them things goes attitude of the lady, the shoulders and the extended arms, the anxious poise of so fast I reckon yer can make the head and the uplifted knee all combine in a perfect harmony, and clear up a it less'n that. mystery that for three-quarters of a century has baffled the keenest antiquarians, comicbooks.com