Life, 1903-11-19 · page 15 of 22
Life — November 19, 1903 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate satirical pieces from Life magazine: **"Epitaph of Ye Book Agent"** (top left): A brief, mocking epitaph for a book agent who was uneducated—knowing nothing of Greek or Geography, only "Ought-to-buy-ography" (a pun on the agent's single skill: convincing people to buy books). **"Forced to It"** (main story): A humorous domestic narrative about a man named Tipton who, unable to afford proper childcare in the city or a house in the country, has brought his one-year-old baby to his office. The joke satirizes the impracticality of urban professional life and the desperation of middle-class working men trying to manage family obligations while maintaining employment. Von Blumer's shock at finding an office converted into a nursery drives the comedic point about the absurdity of the situation. **"Grandmother's Clothes"** (illustration, bottom right): An accompanying sketch showing an elderly woman in old-fashioned garments, described as bringing her a nostalgic vision of a soldier lover from her youth—likely sentimental rather than satirical.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Epitaph of Ye Book Agent. [LEARNED he was not, in 4 Greek or Geography. All he had studied wa Ought-to-buy-ogr: Forced to It. “YY HAT can it meant Von Blumer, on the threshold of bis friend Tipton’s office, paused suddenly as he heard ® strange, incongruous sound. It was a cry, but not exactly that of an animal tn distress. It sounded lke that of a baby. Me entered. Tipton sat at bia desk writing. In @ high chair, a child, perbaps one year old. sat playing with a rattle. On the office floor were red number of childish toys. “Has he gone mad?” thought Von Blumer. Tipton looked up, as a woman, with all the appearance of being & nurse. dangled a bright rubber ball tn front of the baby. * Ab, old man,” he sald to see you. What can for you?” on Blumer gasped. “What's the meaning of this?” he muttered. Tipton smited. + It's easily explained,” he ob- served. “This baby is our first otfense, We tried living tn the country, but we couldn't keep & nurse. We couldn’tafford a house the city, and they won't keep habies tn flats, so we bave him here. And now, old fellow, what can I do for your” T° err is human, and to lie about it, natu- GRANDMOTHER'S CLOTHES, A MUG PROM HeIDELnEna. THE OLD GOWN BRINGS A VISION OP THE SOLDIER LOVER OF TER OWN YOUTH. comicbooks.com