Life, 1897-02-18 · page 9 of 20
Life — February 18, 1897 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 131 The top cartoon, titled "In Retirement at Mt. Vernon," depicts two men in 18th-century dress at what appears to be George Washington's estate. The dialogue mentions "Fiddleback" making love to "an heiress" and seeking capital for a "reorganization scheme"—satirizing wealthy individuals using romantic relationships for financial gain. The page includes a poem titled "Life" (adapted from 1897) about parting lovers, and three brief humorous anecdotes: "The Invariable Rule" about women's declining beauty with age, a joke about a New York poet paying postage with autographed stamps, and a baggageman's quip about a passenger's marked face. The classical engraving below shows "Columbia Conducts Washington to the Temple of Fame," evoking American patriotic imagery.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
131 7" I) THE SAME THING. KY ASTLETON: Fiddleback is making love Y Wal ; A Mh to an heiress. iy. ‘‘Ah, I heard him say that he was trying to get a large amount of capital interested in a reorganization scheme.” T seems a pity that anyone should be forced to discontinue Lire because of the present well- known stringency in the money market, but the natural regret incident to this keen disappointment could hardly be couched in more fitting language than that which follows: “LIFE Mrs. BARBAULD (Adapted to 1897.) IFE! I know well what thou art, But know that thou and I must part; Though when, and how, and_where we met, Is vivid in my mem'ry yet. Lire! we've been long together, Through pleasant and through cloudy weat ‘Tis hard to part; yet Lirk is dear— Too high for me this panic year. IN RETIREMENT AT MT. VERNON, So go thou must, I give thee warning — Choice is not mine. Yet not ‘* Good-bye,” for at some brighter time Thou'lt say, ‘Good morning. Esther Campbell, him the better we shall like him, and the more encourage- ment in well-doing we are likely to receive from his example, which grows more illustrious with added years. i COLUMBIA CONDUCTS WASHINGTON TO THE TEMPLE OF FAME. THE INVARIABLE RULE. HE report that a certain New [T[IRST BAGGAGE) Far woman, throughout every age, York poet pays his hatter with did yer smash dat feller’s face A riddle is in truth ; postage stamps reccived for auto- in fer? He warn’t doin’ nuthin’, We find that her declining days graphs is authoritatively denied, The Second BAGGAGEMAN: I know, Are always in her youth. denial comes from the hatter. but his face wuz marked ‘‘ with care.”