Life, 1900-03-29 · page 5 of 18
Life — March 29, 1900 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis The page features a sketch titled "The Débutante" and reproduces "The Queen's Speech" from *The United Irishman* of Dublin, apparently responding to British war efforts in South Africa (the Boer War). The speech, attributed to "Shanganagh," is satirical propaganda from an Irish nationalist publication, expressing grievances about English soldiers killed and Irish suffering, while warning that India, France, and Germany prepare to seize the opportunity presented by Britain's military distraction. The cartoon at right, captioned "On the Contrary," appears to be a counter-response—a British satirical rejoinder mocking or ridiculing the Irish nationalist position. The page thus documents the Anglo-Irish political tensions surrounding Britain's Boer War involvement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
_—— The Débutante. HEY pat the relics of a hundred — And under all this record of past years days, Within her ears; There softly plays And on her silken gown, somo rire 4 girlish heart, that truly yearns old lace They deftly place; They bang a fortune on her throb- bing breast, to be Forever freo; And Love is thero and beams with- An old bequest ; laihor eyes, And on her feet aro slippers worn And fervont erica: before “Ab, heart! our time will surely come at last, In days of yoro; 2 When this is past ; About her arms, the glistening bracelets show, The world looks only at the gems Of long ag you woar; Beneath a coronet, so old and rare, Ab, heart! Take care!" ‘They bind her hair, Montrose J. Moses, 245 HE United Irishman, of Dublin, has recently pub- lished its own version of the Queen's speech to Parlia- ment, which reads as follows. It was written before the Boer disasters, but its broad truths remain unchanged : THE QUEEN'S SPEECH, My Lonns AND GeSTLEMES I regret to say that my attempt to exterminate and plunder the Dutch Repabiicans of South Africa has net been successful. Coa- sequently my arrangements for occupying Detagoa Bay and setzinge Madagascar—thus sccuring for me the domluton of the Indian Ocean—ate of, Ihave been deeply impressed by the fact that my call to the Yeomanry and Volunteers to ald ine in hammering Paul has evoked @ response from s1X thousand—teluding the bind and the lame— out of wn avaliable force of one hundred and ninety thousand men When these gatiant fellows have been Instructed as to which end of & rifle shoots, and have been fully equipped with running-shoes anit White flags, they will be sent 4 near the front as they can be prodded Into going, 1 am deeply grieved that a number of my English soldiers have been killed and wounded, Happily, however, my Genenalx have m that for every Englistiman bit three of my relligs have fallen. 1 have tio Goubt that as long as thes Reloty are available they will be sent to do the fighting and serce my countrymen from hart My relations with other States continue to be frendly, Rita t Preparing to seize India; France i getting ready to ave . and Germany i butlding up a feet to wipe ine olf the face of the sea, The cost of the war will he necessartly heavy. In order to encourage habits of industry and thrift in the working clases you will arrange the tncidence of taxation to bear upon them. Ye ‘Will not, Fain convinced, shrink from any outlay at the expense of the poor which may be required 10 preserve our Stockjobbers' Empire from destruction. Forty millions of my Indian serfs are starving to death tn their own country. I have forwarded them £5. May the Messing of Saturn, alias Moloch, God of our nice, attend your labours | “ON THE CONTRARY.”