Life, 1896-07-02 · page 10 of 18
Life — July 2, 1896 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 536 This page contains three separate pieces of humor: 1. **"A Midnight Tragedy"** — A poem satirizing overly dramatic, emotional speech. The speaker uses flowery, archaic language ("frail and gauzy thing," "anathemas uttering") to describe heartbreak, mocking theatrical sentimentality. 2. **"Artful Frank"** — A brief joke about Frank Spinner becoming a bicycle instructor, with the punchline that he wants to get his arms around girls—physical comedy mixing innocent activity with romantic intention. 3. **"The Bicycle Nose"** — A humorous article explaining that country cyclists develop prominent noses from riding, since they can't see ahead properly and must use their nose as a safety organ. The joke satirizes the awkward posture and limited awareness of bicycle riders, particularly on country roads. The cartoon showing a monkey and elephant at a baseball game illustrates the bicycling humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
536 A MIONIGHT TRAGEDY. FRAIL and gauzy thing Circling on airy wing! While thou dost gaily sing, Anguish my heart doth wring, For near the moments bring Thee and thy awful sting ! Wide thou thy voice dost fling, Servilely flattering, Cozening, cozening, Craftily purposing, Still nigher fluttering, While I lie muttering, Fuming and sputtering, Anathemas uttering On thee and thine. Though thou the blood dost claim From some ancestral vein Makes us akin, Only by stealth it flows, Reqder than summer's rose Thy frame within. I will have none of thee ! Get thee now gone from me ! No? Then my hand shail spare Not to descend—so there !! WRK. ARTFUL FRANK, OJACK: Have you heard that Frank Spinner has become an instructor in a bicycle school ? Tomp1k: That fellow will doany- thing to get his arms around a girl. ACT is the knowledge of when it is better not to tell the truth. How THE MONKEY AND THE ELEPHANT MADE SOME MONEY OUT OF THE BALL GAME. THE BICYCLE NOSE. "THE practice of riding bicycles along country roads is adapted to raise the human nose to a position of increased influence and honor. The bicyclist in the country cannot talk very much; he is too busy. Neither can he see very much. The chief use he has for his eyes isto watch the road immediately in front of him. His ears he relies on to keep from being cun‘over from behind. The only organ of sense he has that tat leisure and free from responsibility for his safety is his nose. That is to have fun with. All the smells that come his way he can assimilate without hazard or disturbance, and as the country smells are very varied and for the most part pleasent, the enjoyment his nose affords him is an important part of his fun. When you see a bicyclist who has“been riding in the country, ask him what smells he met., He will-not have seen very much—no CAUT ROUGE TACON, SUE WHEN VOUS MADLEG ES bicyclist does—tut if you will remind him of the smells he VOU "WILLE KNOW: THAT:ONE CAN T:RETOO CAREFUL WHEN-TH will remember them. He took them all in, for his nose wasat FOR FIRECRACKERS AND TIN KETTLES ARRIVES.” leisure, msi his legs and hands and eyes were busiest. f comicbooks.com