Life, 1902-10-23 · page 7 of 22
Life — October 23, 1902 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains a poem titled "Toinette" by Theodosia Garrison, illustrated with period engravings. The content is not political satire but rather sentimental Victorian poetry about a disabled girl named Toinette who "cannot spin" and "speaks no word" yet is beloved by her village community. The main illustration depicts an Egyptian riverside scene labeled "Looking for a Moses," showing figures in classical dress by water with palm trees and ancient architecture. This appears to be a literary illustration rather than commentary—likely accompanying or referencing the poem's themes of care for a vulnerable, speechless child. The page demonstrates *Life*'s mix of social commentary, literature, and illustration typical of late 19th/early 20th-century American magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘Toinette. GRE is so old she may not spin; All day she sits here in the sun And speaks no word. The children play Across the threshold, out and in, LOOKING FOR A MOSES. The Hon @. C2 wow. But I, 'Toinette, the crippled one, I sit beside her day by day. The village folk go to and fro And nod and smile, and sometimes too The curé stays and chate with me. She Is so old she does not know Although we say her name anew ‘And call her gently, I and be. ‘The parish poor we two, and yet The curé says, ‘ God's children we,” And strokes my hair and goes his way. Then carefully, lest I forget, I think his words again—and she Knows what my silences would say. Sometimes I touch her hand and tell -How the sun sets, or on the green How the girls dance. No word I say, Yet do I think she heeds me well. I dare not speak lest, having seen, The children mock me in their play And sometimes, though she never speaks, I know she tells me of the days When she too was a little maid. And once were tears upon her checks And clasped her hands as one who prays, And I—I knew for whom she prayed. Rare comrades we. And all day long I sit beside her in the sun ; The others wonder as they go— She is so old and they so strong, Yet I, 'Toinette, the crippled one, More than they understand I know. Theodosia Garrison, [HOSE we hinder have longer mem- ories than those we help. comicbooks.com