Life, 1904-07-07 · page 20 of 40
Life — July 7, 1904 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine satirizes Minnesota through humorous commentary and three cartoon panels. The text mocks the state's harsh climate, religious divisions among Scandinavian settlers, and its reliably Republican politics—except when Democrats "put up a Swede." The opening establishes that Minnesota is located on railroad magnate James J. Hill's "country estate," sarcastically suggesting his economic dominance over the region. The cartoons below depict "Uncle Anson," an inventor character, attempting to patent a "labor-savin' invention"—a sofa designed to facilitate courtship between two reluctant people (his sister Nancy and "Mi Slocom"). The joke relies on frontier humor about backwardness and the inventor-charlatan type common to *Life*'s comedy. The satire targets both regional provincialism and patent-scheme absurdity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Minn, INNESOTA is situated at the eastern extrem- ity of Mr. James J. Hill's fine country estate. Its people are favorites of Mr. Hill. He often asks them kindly if they are getting enough to eat. It's dry in Minnesota, but it's so cold you don't feel it. Minnesota is very healthy. It is full of towns which need nothing so much as a few first-class funerals, and simply can’t have ‘em. Minnesota was settled by Mainites, mostly friendly to the whites, however, and Scandinavians, The Scan- dinavians go in for all the brands of Lutheran theol- ogy. It is a small village indeed which hasn't two flourishing Lutheran sects one holding that Adam was unexceptionable until he ate the apple, the other that he was a horse-thief de nove, Minnesota is reliably Re- publican, except when the Democrats get gay and put up a Swede. yellow dog nominated on the Republican ticket would be elected ; others, that this has actually come to pass. In order to anticipate any possible misapprehensions, a few definitions are offered : Cyclone: A popular ve- hicle, not to be confused with the bicyclone ridden by women, children and invalids, 68 below zero: A jeu desprit(spirit thermometer). Blizzard: A hissing and a byword. Minnesota was the scene of Hiawatha’s wooing, show- ing that many waters (the word Minnesota signifies many waters) cannot quench love, even when they are frozen solid six months in the year, Uncle Anson: MI SLOCOM'S BEN COUKTIN’ SISTER NANCY FUR NIGH ONTER TWENTY YEARS, AND MAIN'T HAD SPUNK TO SPEAK YET. WE'LL SEE MOW MY HOME-MADE, PATENT CONTRACTIN’ SOFY WILL work. TAKES VOUR UNCLE ANSE FER LABOR-S comicbooks.com