Life, 1903-12-03 · page 13 of 22
Life — December 3, 1903 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces targeting turn-of-the-century urban life: **"A Baxter Street Lullaby"** uses Jewish-immigrant dialect (stereotypical spelling like "Kleine leedle Ikey") to mock insurance fraud and arson. The "lullaby" instructs a child: buy insurance low, set fires with matches, collect profits—a dark joke about tenement fires plaguing immigrant neighborhoods, likely referencing actual insurance scams of the era. **"Only One Thing"** is romantic satire—a woman blames moonlight for her impropriety, then suggests waiting for another romantic night rather than committing to actual change or responsibility. The joke mocks sentimental excuses. **"The Medicine Chest"** humorously describes how built-in medicine cabinets enable misuse (confusing poisons), while also satirizing class inequality: the poor can't afford doctors and must self-treat with random prescriptions. **"Deceptive"** jokes that a woman with many children claims experience with children, but actually attended mothers' meetings instead—implying negligent parenting. The page reflects Gilded Age concerns: immigrant life, urban decay, class divisions, and consumer culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“He just scatters kerosene.” A Baxter Street Lullaby. porry one to keeb a date, Fixin’ de insurance rate; Ven he gomes he you't be mean, He just scatters kerosene ; Den nexdt veek some vindy day, Vith some matches you gan bl Buy low, Sell high, Kleine leedle Ikey ! “Vith some matches you gan blay.” Sleeb, mein leedle Kinchen, sleeb, Ofer you ve vatches keeb. Mommy likes to keeb a few, P’raps dey lose de tickeds doo; Vile you're in your leedle nestd, You don'd lose no interestd. Buy low, Sell high, Kleine leedle Ikey © Ofer you ve watches heed.” “ NCLE SAM _ seems wedded to the Trusts.”’ 3, with a political LIFE: Only One Thing. “ woe you forgive me?”’ Tho young and beautiful girl buried her face in her hands. “ Alas!’ she muttered, “when I told you last night that I loved you, and when I allowed you to press your attentions upon me,I fear that I was not conscientious enough. The truth is that the beauty of the night, and the influence of the full moon—all the ur- roundings, had such a sentimental influence upon me as to make me iose myself, Will you forgive me?” ‘The man she addressed, overcome by the sad truth, was for a time too much moved to answer. But, stifling his emotion, at last by a supreme effort he murmured, “And is there no hope? Can nothing be done?” “Nothing,” she sobbed. ‘‘Nothing— except to wait for another nigne like that.” The Medicine Chest. TW ITIL the custom of having the medi- chest built into the wall of the js utensil emerges from the bedroom, t class of mere ephemera, and becomes an appurtenan Formerly the medicine chest was filled with weak decoctions of yarbs, but the fag ends of prescriptions are found to take up less room, and to serve equally well Ordinarily the medicine chest enables a frightencd woman the more readily to mis- take carbolic acid for paregoric. Ofcourse, there are medicine chests which do not do this, just as now and then there are fur- naces which do not keep it always as warm in the living room as it is in the refrig- ne chest disposes of the de- ng accusation, sometimes laid against our civilization, that persons too poor co employ a family physician, and too proud togo to the free dispensaries, are therefore compelled to die a natural death. People sometimes use their bathtubs to keep coal in, but never their medigine chests. Deceptive. “VBS. MANGLETON must have AV* had a lot of experience with children, she has so many.” “Not at all. While they were coming up, she was away attending mothers’ meetings.” “WHAT ARE YOU MONKS Dd “WE ARE PLAYIN’ BALLOON. Eddyficati Fortune gives it to you in the eye, Deny yourself, your fortune, When some one (-else, of course) abstains (Alleged!) breathe lusty disbelief in Should such will you his many-shekeled Since, lacking death, there are no dead IN MY PEED in. Deny Through death Refuse! Marguerite Merington. comicbooks.com