Life, 1899-03-30 · page 9 of 20
Life — March 30, 1899 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis: Life Magazine, Page 281 **Top Cartoon ("Making Things Hum"):** An elderly man with a cane confronts two younger men holding papers. The caption suggests the older figure is attempting to instruct or scold them about making noise or disruption—likely social commentary on generational conflict or workplace discipline, though the specific reference is unclear. **Bottom Section:** Contains a passage from what appears to be a literary work (possibly Jules Verne, referenced in the text), followed by a humorous exchange labeled "Perfectly Natural" between characters Billous Jim and Alkali Ike regarding a natural death. The page primarily features a book review or literary commentary rather than political satire. The satirical tone is gentle and domestic rather than explicitly political.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
GLIMPSES INTO THE FUTURE. OLIMPse x1. 1912.-NEW YORK TO LONDON IN SEVEN MoURs, tho great leviathan and the boats were crushed to kindling wood. But as in the gamo of war, zest seemed only added to tho adventure by the imminent hazard of death, One might expect forceful simplicity in tho narrative of a sailorman, but tho surprising thing is tho literary power displayed in many of tho descriptions, An artist and practised hand at the business could not hope to equal somo of them, Thero is an account of a night spent bn the floating carcass of a whale which has tho fascination and grim vividness of a chapter in Stevenson's “Tho Wrecke Another episode is a night of terror ina great cavo on tho coast of 8 Scuth Sea island, whore tho whaleboat is shut in by the tide, and tho crow have a life and death struggle with a gigantic whale which has followed them in, ‘This sounds like Jules Verne run mad, All through the pages aro picturesque episodes—a tropic storm, a wonderful “ milk-sea,”@ midnight fight between a huge whalo and three “killers,” and another combat with a tremendous squid—and each one told with a marvelous felicity of phrase, No wonder Kipling said: “ You have thrown away material enough to make five books.” Whether Mr. Bullen’s gift grows out of unique experiences and a tenacious memory, or whether it is evolved from a fertile imagination Joined to a talent for literature, matters little; whether day-dreams or romembered facts, this is a book of adventuro of tho first rank. Droch, N the presence of s man a woman's thoughts are seldom far from the subject—Man. MaxING THINGS UUM.” bell, an Easter bell, and as you will not doubt, my mission {s to rest a spell and then ring out, ring out! All bells are “wild” and so am I, and 80 aro others, too, especially when up on high my ringing goes right through the tympanums of sleeping folk at just tho time when they think “ringing out” ts not a joke, ’Tis thon they do not pray. They say somo things that are unfit which I of course can scorn, but which somehow do not quito sit just right on Easter morn, But [ rejoice in all this noise, it suits me to aT, and in tay poise and counterpolso I clang infernally and wako ‘em up for miles around, and as I work away, I wish, with malice quite profound, each day wero Tom Masson, Perfectly Natural. Tanantua JIM (who has been away): Pete dic a natural death? ALKALI Ike (who stayed at home): Yep; hoss-stealin’. Did Bilious lynched for Amero to the wise is the root of all evil.