Life, 1902-07-17 · page 9 of 20
Life — July 17, 1902 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 53 This page contains a dialogue between two writers discussing their work, accompanied by a small illustration titled "When Love is Young" showing a couple on a beach. The main content is a conversation about writing projects: one writer mentions a story about a South African antelope called "The Springbok's Bok," while another discusses "The Misings of a Mosquito"—a sequel to "Lunatics I Have Launched." The humor derives from the absurdity of these animal-focused literary works and the writers' pretentious justifications for them. Below is a separate satirical piece titled "Divinity" discussing the University of Chicago's investment in a new divinity school building, suggesting that petroleum discovery has become more spiritually valuable than traditional Christian ministry. The satire targets both literary pretension and the era's commercialism versus religious commitment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WHEN Love 18 YOUNG. “Well, she did think that my department ought to in- clude her. No. I soothed her by giving the real and original hare soup prescription. But my later trouble was more serious. You see, I wanted to write a story about a South African antelope, so I called it ‘The Sprightly Bok.’ Edward, the editor, thought it was a personal insult, and said it wasn’t fair to spring such a title on him.” “I'm sure you must find it a nice quiet place. are writing another book, of course?” “Just a sketch or two. At present I'm working on ‘The Musings of a Mosquito.’” “I suppose you'll bring out a swell—I mean a swollen —edition, with tailpieces and little wings.” “Yes. The illustrations are so realistic that I can’t keep from slapping them. It’s a subject that spurs a writer on, I am thinking of having some musician com- pose a song to go with it—you remember the mosquito’s gentle, dreamy whiz?” “Then, you can write a second sequel on ‘Lunatics I Have Launched.'"’ “That sounds very well. But I think I prefer to keep to animals. I know them rather well by this time, and they have complete confidence in me. Even the donkey seems to cherish a kind of fellow feeling.” “You must be very busy.”’ “Rather. I'm going for a prowl with a panther to- morrow, and to-morrow night I expect to spend in writ- ing a few hundred words on woman's cruelty to the mouse. Now, there isn’t any real harm in a mouse. If you'll only think of what a pretty color it——" “Mr. Thompson-Seton-Ernest, I won't hear another word “But it's a lovely little creature—so soft to the touch and—-” But you “Errrht “There you go! You awful man!” I never knew a woman who could be rational, Now, if you’ll——” But I was far away, following the trail of the Ant- hill Nag. JG. BSERVERS who have seen the world say that the elec- tric cars on the Boston Elevated are noisier than the steam cars on our Elevated. That may only be because Bos- ton is a louder place, but unluckily the electric cars on the Second Avenue Elevated are noisier than the steam cars on that road, Can it be that when the electric cars come here, wo shall sigh for the old quiet days when we had steam? J* her husband's, a ton. Lo) > salt: her lover’s arms a woman weighs but a feather; in Divinity. [T is no small comfort to read that the University of Chicago has got one hun- dred and fifty thousand dollars to put into another building for its divinity school. Owing to the modification of social and business cus: toms, the Christian ministry is vastly more technical than it was when the Saviour sent apostles out to teach the nations, In order to pro- vide apparatus of instrue- tion at all adequate to mod- ern necessities, a divinity school need have the where- withal, It used to be thought that God's best gift to man was reason ; but the discovery of eum has opened peo- 's eyes some. CAR