Life, 1902-11-27 · page 11 of 26
Life — November 27, 1902 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 461 This page contains satirical content about American civic life. The main article "How to Make a Good Town to Live In" is a mock recipe that sarcastically prescribes removing all the town's most problematic elements—preachers, saloon-keepers, corrupt editors, gamblers, and inebriates—then starting fresh with a cemetery for "the bodies of the two lawyers." It's biting social commentary on widespread corruption and moral decay in American towns. "A Vital Question" below contests which daily newspaper is worst in the United States, offering "$50 in Gold" to whoever can prove one paper superior. It mocks American journalism's generally poor quality. The illustration shows a woman with a small dog, labeled "Pegasus my pony's," accompanying verses about her pets. This appears lighter satirical verse content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
461 How to Make a Good Town to Live In. Recire No. 1. AKE about a half-dozen preachers; three or four saloon-keepers ; a few progressive editors ; one disappointed office-seeker; a bunch of fresh collego graduates; several gamblers; a leader of a young men's Bible class; two law- yers ; an inebriate ; a varied assortment of adults, and children to fill. First mix the last two in- gredients, shaking out any of the adults that show evidences of being retired farmers ; then pick over the preachers and saloon-keepers, throwing ont all of the former that can’t mind their own business, and all of the latter that are too strongly imbued with the spirit of downright vice— (this will probably leave about two saloon-keepers and three preachers, which is sufficient) ; start the editors to advocating progression, while they are at the same time planning for a renomination of the unsuccessful politician and citing tho inebriate as a horrible example ; tie up the college boys until they ripen ; stir the gamblers in amongst the men-folk so that the latter may acquaint themselves with the games of chance that are to be avoided when the money is needed for other purposes ; beat tho leader of the young men’s Bible class into a soft batter every time he proposes to reform the town, Then in a separate vessel—preferably the one in which their ancestors came over—thoroughly mix the adults, so that there may be a harmonious assembling of capital and labor, re- MY 18 THE MARTIAN PAMILY MOVING, OBEDIA?” ligion and society, business and “RECAUSE THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THB NEW BABY 18 NOT zi pleasure ; remove their vitals, and SUFFICIENT TO ENAMGH IT TO REMAIN ON THE asTENoID WiTuoUT s then start a cemetery with the ee Neo bodies of the two lawyers. After A Vital Question. sprinkling the entire mass with a ‘Wwrce ig ‘the’ wort little of the root of all evil, season daily news oii with the spice of life, and it is at 'y pa pel ee és h the United States, once ready foruse. To keep fresh, and why? occasionally add moro children. Lire would like to H have this question LUNG | Pegasus and Peggy. definitely settled. , i p* is my muse's name, With that in view we : y .gasus my pony's ; offer R It is my delight to claim A Prize or Firry 4 ¥ at i Both of them as cronies, Do.uars 1x Goip b y One Id and one drives me,— for the cleverest con- \ Verse and the reverse, you see. tribution showing why ¢ Fi ; any particular daily ANY, i Pegasus I drive to praise newepaper is tha worst \ : Peggy rns fe arcs! * : eggy in bewitching ways Conpitioys. y d the reverse, you say ? Competitors must limit their arguments to three \ f \ Jerse ond the rexerass yon My hundred words each Le A ‘ _ I am versatile to-day Write on one aide of the paper only. i if oa t rhe contest wl close Marca 1, 1903, and the award will > he be made as soon thereafter as the respective merits of the . d eury ve arguments can be determined. cm < \ \ Peggy loves a saddle- The winning argument will be printed, together with WY horse, such others as may seem to Lire worthy ‘of that distin. i i} Pr . pee kd \ if! egasus, a bridle; Names and addresses of the writers should accompan; \ ) I lov Pe} all manuscripts, Zn no ease sill these be printed ithe \ - Seay, “be, “HE Sorinee tates of fe Aperd Those who Seale thet mano. Y i" as course, 8 returned should enclose & stamped an eased = ve e. scripts retarned shoul ped an : _ Hates to have me idle. Each manuscript may beara pseudonym, which will be Peggy, Pegasus and pride: printed with the argument. All diversely versified ! ‘The Editors of Lire are to be the sole judges of the merits = y es of the arguments. * Pegasus my pony's. Feliz Carmen, comicbooks.com