Life, 1898-08-18 · page 8 of 20
Life — August 18, 1898 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 128 The page contains two distinct elements: **Upper section:** A humorous anecdote about a woman being recognized at a social function where she wasn't invited, and subsequent awkward social negotiations about socks and payment. This appears to be general social satire rather than political commentary. **Lower section:** A biographical essay about Mark Twain with accompanying photograph. The text critiques Twain's character and writing, noting his facility for telling truths "by lying about it" and his lack of business sense. The essay catalogs his various character traits and life experiences in a somewhat unflattering but admiring tone. The page appears to be primarily literary/cultural commentary rather than political satire. Both pieces use humor to examine social behavior and American literary figures.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
128 *LIFE- does he think everyone is noticin’ him. I “Nover min’ who took me.” This wouldn't bother with him if I had eyes in with a fascinating leer. “ We got some rs. Did you want anything?” socks fer a quarter. Oh, that This to me. I felt unduly elated at having reminds me, Stella Scanlan bas been recognized as a party to the ‘cons a noo steady an’ he’s a terrible and I thought enough of what good-looker.” versazion I had said concerning socks to repeat it. “He must make Stella look sick.” “How much d'yer want to pay?” “I guess [ won't wait for those Before [had time to reply, the other party — socks," said I. to the dialogue said: “Ob, Rosie, are you ‘It had just como over mo that I go'n’ to the Ninth Ward Gentlemen's Sons’ was decidedly out of place. nic?” “Beezy Halloran lost her job If me mother gets me dress done in hist week. She was too inatten- — time, How much d'you say you wanted — tive, the floorwalker said.” tof she asked me. She wasevidently I saw tho floorwalker just then, annoyed at me. Sho bad not asked me to but I didn’t say anything. I took come te her counter, tho point of view that I had in- Er—ten cents,” I said, being flustered. truded upon a social function to “We don’t have ‘em as cheap as that,” which I bad not been asked, and Then to her friend: “Say, Iwas tothe ban’ TI bought my socks at a‘ gentle- concert at the park Sunday aft'noon, an’ it men’s furnishing store” where was jus’ gran’.” they don't have *conversaziones,” **Who took yer?” Charles Battell Loomis, ———_ | “OTIS SWEET TO NEAR THE WATCIDOG'S HONEST | | Bang.” —hyron, “ Don Juan.” _ | Mark Twain. ARK TWAIN has written a great many bad things in his lifetime that have been good because he wrote them, and a great many good things that were not bad because somcone else did not write them. He has a faculty of telling the truth by lying about it in such a way that it is immediately self-evident. Some men’s culture consists of branches, others of leaves, and dry at that; but Mark Twain's is mostly root. He has no faculty for business, having an obsolete idea that when a man fails he should pay his creditors, an unforgivable trait at the best, and a matter of reproach for descendants. Mark has no distinguishing quality except an exaggerated intellect. He shakes hands, walks, talks, sits up and takes notice, and wears clothes just like Mark Twain, Once, when a boy, he parted his hair while diving, but this has long since been buried in the dead past. He has written a number of books since he came out, some of them volumes in two lines, and others longer and notso good. He was born with a frog in his throat, but it was liberated in time to give him a name. Since then he has been on the jump, and, having been born a humorist, he bas not always landed in the softest spots. But what he has lost for himself has been gained ay you wanted to pay?” by a great many others. How much d'you comichooks.com