Life, 1896-06-18 · page 5 of 18
Life — June 18, 1896 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 493 This page contains several satirical pieces mocking social conventions of the era: **"The Passing of the Graduate"** critiques a young woman college graduate who advocates for women's rights and reform but whose actual impact seems limited—she'll likely abandon her ideals for marriage. **"An Omission"** is a brief domestic joke about a husband forgetting to buy cigars for himself while shopping. **"Setting Them Right"** mocks a caller asking about "the McAdams ladies," with humor about a bicycle-related mental breakdown. **"Ambitious Boston"** discusses Boston's proposal to build a large artificial lake near Worcester. **"The Deadly Parallel"** references a Brooklyn trolley track incident. The cartoons use exaggerated illustrations and period-appropriate domestic/social situations typical of early 1900s American satirical humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LIFE: AN OMISSION. I expect some friends of mine this THE PASSING OF THE GRADUATE. O-DAY the college graduate. USBAND His soul athirst for fame, On themes that puzzle common minds Doth learnedly declaim. He holdeth forth on Church and State, And fearlessly proceeds To show the weakness of our laws, The error of creeds. our He warns us, in por- tentous tones And with uplifted hand, That RUIN, like a vulture, broods O'er this devoted land, Unless REFORM her banner raise, Ere yet it be too late — Then glances the bench sits The sweet girl- graduate, ward where She, who but yester- day declaimed Her sex’s scorn of man, And vowed that wo- man’s rights should rule — Her banner lead the van. And yet, to-morrow where are they These standards to unfurl? He’s pitcher in a baseball nine, And she’s a summer girl. She: “OF col “On, you SETTING THEM RIGHT. ALLERS: Are the ladies at home? BRIDGET (examining their cards): Sure, ma’am, it isn’t them that lives here — it’s the McAdamses. “ISNT it too bad about young Fosdick losing his mind?” “It is, indeed. What caused him to go crazy?” ‘He tried to select a bicycle from the advertisements in the papers.” evening, and I must go out and buy some cigars. Wire: Why, I thought you bought some for them. “I did, but I forgot to get any for myself.” WILL YOU LOVE ME WHEN I GET OLD AND LOOK LIKE THAT WOMAN WE JUST PASSED ? SE I WILL, DARLING!” LOVELY STUPID! I NEVER WILL LOOK LIKE AMBITIOUS BOSTON. HE town of Boston, being somewhat short of water, has undertaken to build herself a lake, and proposes to spend $19,000,000 in its construction. It is to be eight miles long and upwards of two miles wide, and will hold sixty-three billion gal- lons of water. on the Nashua river, and spreads over a district at present occupied by mills, churches, railroads, highways, and the homes of 2,000 people. It is to be fin- ished in about two years, and will hold twice as much water as the new Croton reservoir. Boston is unobtrusive, self-satisfied and so attentive to her own affairs that we are apt to forget how competent and effectual she is. Her new lake is to It’s site is near Worcester, AND SHE DIDN'T, supply all the towns within ten miles of her State-house —a district whereof the inhabitants know more, have more fun and get more satisfaction out of life than the population of any surface of equal circumference in the known world. TH DEADLY PARALLEL— Brooklyn trolley track. comicbooks.com