Life, 1898-10-13 · page 9 of 20
Life — October 13, 1898 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers The main cartoon depicts a rotund, elaborately dressed man labeled "SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY," likely a satirical caricature of a contemporary public figure (the specific identity isn't clear from the page alone). The accompanying text discusses Lord Byron's social standing and anecdotes about his life—particularly regarding his seat in Parliament and his social circle. It references Byron's acquaintance with various figures and details about a dinner invitation he rejected. The page also includes two brief comic exchanges: "The Braided Lady" (a humorous poem about braiding) and "A Potent Influence" (a doctor-patient joke about reading newspapers). The other illustration shows two figures in what appears to be an office setting, captioned "AN EVENING'S AMUSEMENT." The satire targets social pretension and notable figures of the period through caricature and wit.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“SOLOMON IN ALL 118 GLORY.” exhaustive knowledge of his sbortcom- ings, even then it remains to be proven how an acquaintance with Lady Caroline Lamb's father-in-law or Lady Francis Wedderburn Webster's early portraits ean elucidate Lord Byron’s character and work, As a matter of fact, it makes wonder- fully little difference to most of us who was the Lieutenant E. whom Byron met one bright morning in Ravenna, and whom he would not invite that day to dine with him because there was a small turbot for dinner, and he wanted to eat it all himself. The really inter- esting thing about this story is that the poet wanted to eat the whole of the tur- bot—and ate it. The name of the young officer who did not share in the feast may forever be left in obscurity, We like to know that fourtcen thousand copies of the Corsair were sold in a single day ; and that Byron had, in Italy, for companions and pets, ten horses, eight dogs, three monkeys, five cats, an eagle, 8 crow, a falcon, five peacocks, two guinea hens, and an Egyptian crane. These are matters which Moore thought it worth while to tell the world @ great many years ago, But we are not thrilled by learning that Jobn Jack- son, the English boxer blessed or bur- dened by the poet’s patronage, was born in 1769 instead of in 1759, as commonly supposed. We are quite unmoved at hearing that Byron’s friend, Mr. : LIPE- Bankes, sat in the House of Commons a whole year longer than Mr, Henley is aware, What is Mr. Bankes to us, or we to Mr, Bankes, that we should excite ourselves over him and his seat in Parliament? There must ever be soms things not worth knowing, even in an age which has lost the power to dis- criminate. ‘To me,” wrote Byron to Murray, with his usual common sense, “it appears of no very great consc- quence whether Martha Blount were, or were not, Pope's mistress, though I could have wished him a better one.” It was the blessed absence of Popeiana that made possible this enviable cum- posure, Agnes Repplier. 289 The Braided Lady. RAIDED up and braided down, Braided all around the town; Braid on skirt and braid on waist, Braid on every woman's taste; Braid on matron, braid on maid, Braid and braid and braid and braid; There {8 no need that it be prayed, Givo us this day our daily braid. W. J. L. A Potent Influence. Des We may pull your hus- band through, madame, but much depends on his previous life. Tell me, has he at any time taken anything which might have impaired his mind? Wire: There was a time when he took the Journal, AN EVENING'S AMUSEMENT, First M. D.: UVR JUST LOST A PATIENT, AND FEEL THE NEED OP SOME RECREATION. Second M. D.: COME AROUND TO MY OFFICE. I'M GOING TO THY SOME EXPEKIMENTS OX A FINE DOG. comicbooks.com