Life, 1897-09-09 · page 13 of 20
Life — September 9, 1897 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains two distinct elements: **Left side:** A satirical dictionary defining American social types with biting political humor. The definitions mock various professions and classes—salesmen, professors, journalists, statesmen, and society figures—using absurdist language to critique their hypocrisy. For example, a "Man" is virtuous "before election" but otherwise "an undeodorized bunch of socialistic horrors." The piece skewers political opportunism, journalistic sensationalism, and upper-class pretension through exaggerated, darkly comedic definitions. **Right side:** A cartoon titled "A Summer Scene" shows two fashionable women beneath a "Men Wanted" sign. Below this is a short comic dialogue about a bicycle repair customer requesting replacement body parts—a joke playing on the mechanical nature of both bicycles and human bodies, likely satirizing consumer culture's disposable attitude toward objects and people. Both elements employ satire typical of *Life*'s early progressive critique of American society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
noun.—A sales-gent; a once-a-week dude; a walk- both-ways-and-climb-a-tree sport; the husband of an actress; the brawn and virtue of the land (just before election); a tiller of the soil, a manof sound sense and sterling worth (if he votes the right ticket); otherwise, an undeodorized bunch of socialistic horrors, Professor, common, wide-open, joblot noun.— Bootblack; pugilist; snake-charmer ; card sharp; expert insanity meddler and muddler; simianary driftwood; a person hired to give loonaversity brats a disgust of the English language. Agnostic, proper, genteel, loonaversity noun. —A rich infidel; a minister looking for a city job. Journalism, vociferous, inflammatory ex- clamation (colloguial, hysterical, maniacal). —Drink, debt, and discharge; fas, reitera- tion, and fine scorn; a yellow road lined with green elephants, pink anacondas and blue devils, Statesman, common, universal, corner gro- cery noun, Jelly gender, legal person, su- preme court case.—A presidential under- study; a corporation bravo; a French-Can- adian, German, Hungarian, Jewish, Roman Catholic Protestant, born in Ireland by way of Alabama; a latter-day patriot who is ready to serve his country at any cost—to the country, Society, common, premeditated, yellow- Journal noun, Amorphous gender, ilt- bred person, divorce case.—A recent place which smells of ancient rum, molasses, slaves, lumber, salt fish, stockwater and pork; araceof which themen are women, aad the women merchandise, Diplomacy, undefined part of speech.— A round stick in a square hole; the stalling place of the attenuated literary ox; the quadrennial thrill of Irishdyna- miters, English prisons, and presidential Mugwamp, Aysterical, statistical, P y celestial interjection (colloguial in election, Boston, Springheldand the national Yf/ weeping department).—A political ¢ virgin; a precinct Moses; a man | who finds a political horseshoe and buys a spavined dark horse; an anathemized first of April person. John Drew. What He Wanted. OBKINS: My _ brother bought a wheel here last weck, and you said if anything broke you would supply a new part. DEALER: That's right. What do you want? «I want two deltoid muscles, a new set of knuckles and a knee-pan,” A SUMMER SCENE.