Life, 1903-11-19 · page 3 of 22
Life — November 19, 1903 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts a social scene at what appears to be a sporting event or public gathering. A woman asks a man to "explain the presence of that automobile on the field" — the humor derives from the novelty and incongruity of an automobile appearing in a context where it doesn't belong, likely a cricket or baseball field. Below are three brief satirical pieces: "Contentment" mocks famous men (Horace, Shakespeare, Drake, Sherman) as less accomplished than the author; "Pathology" jokes about a child's poor digestion from excessive party foods; and "A Commuter's Suggestion" puns on replacing trolley line corners with lobsters. The humor reflects early 20th-century concerns about technology, consumption, and urban life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Girl: “ou. THAT'S MINE. Contentment. ENVY Of any time or land ; Horatius may have held the bridge, I've held Myrtilla’s hand. not the famous men Though Shakespeare written plays And sonnets not a few; Yet to Myrtilla I have penned A joyous billet-doux. may have Drake may have circled round the globe, And though that pleased his taste, Suffice for me to have my arm Around Myrtilla’s waist. ‘Though Sherman may have made a march From Georgia to the sea, A wedding march right up the aisle Is good enough for me. Melandburgh Wilson. VM THE-CENTRE RUSH.” Pathology. ‘THE child was extremely ill. body could see that. “ What has she been eating?’ asked Any- he is just home from a little chil- dren's party, where the refreshments were chicken sandwiches, fruit cake, candied cherries, nuts, coffee, chocolate creams and lobster salad,”’said mamma. - Doctor looked perplexed. “ Anything else?’’ he asked. Mamma thonght a moment. “Oh, yes! fruit ices,’’ she said. “Ah!” exclaimed the doctor at once. ‘Doubtless the water with which the ices were made was not thoroughly sterilized.” He shook his head. WILL YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THE PRESENCE OF THAT AUTOMOBILE ON Tux FIELD? Estimated! “ DAPA, what's the difference be- tween the Upper Ten and the Four Hundred ?"” “Oh, about sixty-eight millions.” COMMUTER'S suggestion for suburban trolley lines : “Why not heat the corners instead of the trolleys?’’ Two men were standing together upon the sidewalk as Dowie passed on the way to his hotel, “Dowie calls himself Elijah,” said ‘*Well, the ravens don’t feed * replied his companion, “The lobsters do that.’’ comicbooks.com