Life, 1896-11-12 · page 7 of 18
Life — November 12, 1896 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page satirizes two separate urban nuisances of the era: **Top cartoon:** Uncle Sam (the bearded figure in top hat on the right) warns young Jonathan about foreign boys carrying chips on their shoulders—a metaphor for immigrants or foreign nationals prone to fighting. **Main article & bottom cartoon:** "A Public Nuisance" complains about pedestrians carrying canes, umbrellas, and other projecting objects carelessly through crowded city streets, creating hazards. The silhouette shows a collision between a man with a bicycle and another carrying an umbrella or cane. The text argues for laws prohibiting such behavior and police enforcement at public transit points. The brief dialogue shows a small man calling a larger man a liar after presumably a street encounter gone wrong—illustrating the conflicts these nuisances create.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Uncle Sam (to Young Jonathan): 1 WOULDN'T PLAY WITH THOSE FOREIGN BOYS MUCH, THEY ALL CARRY CHIPS ON THEIR SHOULDERS, A PUBLIC NUISANCE. doubt a man carrying a cane or an umbrella over his shoulder is a dangerous being, but he isn’t a N°? marker to the man who carries an umbrella or a cane run through the straps of a valise. If one is looking ahead, the chances are that he will see the cane that iscarried high; but how can he, in a crowd, see the cane or umbrella carried low? It isn’t so bad if the carrier moves straight ahead and at moderate speed ; but if he is impetuous, or if he is curious and turns to look at something in a window, then the rigidly held cane and umbrella may suddenly become scythes of destruction, destroying tempers, if not human lives. There ought to be a law forbidding the carrying of canes or umbrellas under the arm or over the shoulder ; and there ought to be at least two laws prohibiting all persons from carrying in the streets of the city any valise, carpet-bag, telescopic or extension box, bag or case, or any other sort of traveling bag or satchel whatsoever, having attached thereto or run through the straps thereof any cane, umbrella, walking-stick, parasol, hoe-handle, liberty-pole, or any timber of any kind projecting beyond the frame of the valise, and so forth as aforesaid; and there ought to be two policemen, at least, at every ferry landing and railroad station, to see that no person escapes into the Streets carrying cane or umbrella, and so on, in the dangerous manner herein set forth. MALL MAN (calmly): You're a liar. LARGE MAN: What! SMALL Man: Hold on, hold on. I smiled. comicbooks.com