Life, 1897-07-08 · page 8 of 20
Life — July 8, 1897 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 28 This page contains three satirical pieces: 1. **Top illustration**: Two figures lying prone, captioned about seeing someone "the second time I was engaged to him" with "What caused the delay?" — likely satirizing broken engagements or unreliable suitors. 2. **"Contemplation"**: A poem about gazing at the sky, attributed to "Erin Beaumont," appears to be gentle philosophical humor. 3. **"The Deadly Parallel"**: A two-column comparison mocking summer resort advertising. The left column lists exaggerated claims ("Beautifully located," "positively no mosquitoes"), while the right reveals the reality in parentheses (e.g., "fifteen miles from anywhere," "black flies and fleas"). This satirizes deceptive resort marketing practices common to the era. 4. **Bottom cartoon**: "A Pleasant Prospect" depicts children negotiating outdoor play, with dialogue about one boy's jealous father — gentle domestic humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“THE SECOND TIME CONTEMPLATION. LOVE to gaze into the liquid azure of the sky— Feel its immensity, and muse on worlds; Its blue expanse immerses all my soul. Alas, what specks we be in thiy vast universe, And how forlorn! One sweetly solemn thought Endears it to the true poetic mind; In all the tinted heavens there’s no matter Found “ unavailable, merely for lack of space.” Irwin Beaumont. THE DEADLY PARALLEL. (Applied to the average up-to-date Summer-resort Circular.) 1 saw “WHAT CAUSED WHAT IT ISN'T. HE Rig Bluff Inn, new last season." “Accommodating one hun- dred guests. “*Is beautifully located,” “Lighted {hroughout by elec- tricity." “ Long distance telephone.” “Morning and evening con- certs. “ Positively no mosquitoes.” “Cuisine better than ever ore.” “Livery-stable near by.” “ Fresh-water bathing close at hand.” “Steam heat in every room.” “Driving- parties are con- antly being gotten up. “New York and Boston mails received in the evening. For further particulars and WHAT IT IS. (Resurrected farmhouse, built sometime B. (Provided half of - sleep on the roof.) (Fifteen miles from anywhere.} (During thunder - showers only.) (Long distance from the house. (By the birds and bull-frogs.) (Nothing but black flies and fleas.) (For the, simple reason it couldn't be worse.) (So near you wish it was far- ther.) (In your room.) (From the cooking in kitchen.) (Gotten up by the landlord and paid for by the guests.) (The evening of the third or fourth day circular address, A, Ssive, “ Anywhere-in-the-Country.” the HIM | WAS ENGAGED TO HIM." THE DELAY?" NO EVIDENCE, | Boab (confidently): 1 don't believe they will be able to make much of a case against us in that railroad crossing accident. PRESIDENT OF Roav: Why not? **Well, you sce, all the witnesses on were killed.” the other side A PLEASANT PROSPECT. “SAY, POP, COME OUT AND DOWN HID, COULD LICK SHIN YOU OUTSIDE,’ JIMMY RYAN SAID HIS PA