Life, 1898-11-24 · page 5 of 20
Life — November 24, 1898 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 405 This page contains three distinct satirical pieces: 1. **"One Way Out of a Dilemma"**: A domestic humor piece about dismissing an alcoholic servant girl. The joke centers on the hypocrisy of a household where whiskey is plentiful yet the staff member is blamed for drinking. 2. **"The Flying Dutchman"** and **Thanksgiving poem**: A mythological reference with seasonal verse about hospitality and charity. 3. **"Another War Horror"**: A post-WWI military anecdote where a soldier is accused of throwing hardtack from a window, hitting a girl. The "horror" punchline involves the detective's absurd damage claim—satirizing both wartime hardship and litigious absurdity. The humor reflects early 20th-century class attitudes, alcohol culture, and post-war adjustment themes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WHAT though the feast be spread, and we are bid, By hospitality that knows no stint, To let the palate coln {tself a purse Of pleasure from thls never-falling mint; What though our eye artistic ‘s charmed as wel, y shining glass and napery so white, When well we know—ah, sad tt 18 to tell !— ‘That Indigestion waits on Appetite. Wood Levette Witson. “ELPE* One Way Out of a Dilemma. “6 ND you had to dismiss the unfor- tunate girl, I suppose, without a character ?” “thought I would haveto, I didn’t dare to keep her in this house, where everyone guzzlcs so that there always seems to be a puddle of whiskey about somewhere, But just in time I heard 405 there was a maid wanted at Mrs. Gil- fooly’s, and Eliza being such a useful girl, except for this habit of drink, I recommended her at once, You know Mrs. Gilfooly was always strict temper- ance, and now her son Willie is just home from the gold cure. I think she'll be safe from temptation for awhile, “T NEVER realized the complete baseness of human nature,” remarked the ex-forger, “till L found myself raising my own cheque.” NO, SAMUEL, poor girl.” MY DEAR, I HAVE JUST WRITTEN A LITTLE MASTERPIECE. 1 CALL INA HOW TOBE MASTER OF THE NOCSRHOLD.” I'M GOING OFF POR A DAY's GOLF, YOU STAY WITH THR WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO NEAR IT? TWIN® UNTIL 1 RETURN.’ “IP YER PLEASE, ‘UM, DAT YOUNO LADY [8 ME APFIANCED BRIDE, AND IF 1T'8 DE SAME TER YOUSE, I'LL TAKE DAT LICKIN’ FER WER," Another War Horror. HE detective entered the restaurant. He went up to the manly soldier who was cating rosy roast beef for the first time since April. “You are Lieutenant Transport ?” he asked. “Tam,” said the soldier. “You passed through this city on your way south?” “T did.” “You threw from your window a piece of hard- tack, with your name and address upon it, hoping the girl who smiled at you would get it?” “Yes, Well, what about it?” “Well,” went on the detective, producing a war- rant, “you missed your aim and struck the half- back of the Yalvard football team, breaking his collar-bone and fracturing seven ribs. He wants ten thousand dollars damages,” comicbooks.com