Life, 1904-09-29 · page 3 of 20
Life — September 29, 1904 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The illustration depicts a country gentleman and woman among barnyard animals, with the woman saying she'd be perfectly happy in the country "if there was only a theatre or something to go to in the evening." This satirizes **upper-class dissatisfaction with rural life**—specifically, the tension between idealizing pastoral simplicity while craving urban entertainments and culture. The joke targets wealthy people who romanticize country living but cannot actually abandon city conveniences and social diversions. The two text pieces below—"Sonnets of Schooldays" and "Obeying Orders"—appear unrelated editorial content, likely humorous verse and a brief dialogue about medical orders, typical of Life's mixed satirical format.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Copyright, £004. by Life Petia She: YD BE PERFECTLY HAPPY HERE IN THE COUNTRY, IF THERE WAS ONLY A THEATRE OR SOMETHING TO GO TO IN THE EVENING, “T AGREE WITH YOU, ETHEL, WHAT WE WAST IS A FARM ON BROADWAY,” Sonnets of Schooldays. SONNET OF THR THOUGHTLESS SODA CLERK AND THEE IMPENDING DOOM. H® clurks inn jonesez stoar ann wenn shee gore inn thare fore iskream soda i suppoas He thinks he hass too smile att hur ann speke too urn thee pay jonez gives him every weak. he duz nott seme to no thatt shee is mine butt stands ann grinns like a toothpowder sine awl sented upp with hare oil ann coloan, Ude think thee kanndy stoar wuz awl his own too sea him bough ann alwuz here him say wot wil thee littul lady have tooday. ithott att furst ide hitt him butt u sea ide gett in jale fore salten battery ann shee wood be aloan ann he mite tri too thro a kis at hur wenn ime not ni. so i have kepp mi temper wenn hede pass in frunt uv us ann look intoo thee glas ann brush his hare befoar he wennt too gett ower iskream soda fore uss. butt ubett thatt biumbi thee day wil kum wenn he wil wisht heed bin moar thottful abowt me. fore i am saven every sent i gett Too bi owt jonesez stoar. ile own itt yett. i saved tenn sense lass weak ann every day ile tri to putt a sent ur too away. ann wenn ive got itt awl ann nede no moar ile tel ole jonez ive kum to bi thee stoar Ann thenn ile fire thatt clurk so doggon quick heel think heez bin struck bi a thowsand brick. he smiles att hur ann never semes too sea thee viper thatt is beein cursed in me. FW. Foley. Obeying Orders. bal 'HE doctors have ordered Bilkins to be quiet and -under no cir- cumstances to use his brain."”” ‘* But how does he pass the time?" “I believe he is writing a novel.” a H*vE you fed the baby on the patent food I recommended ?”” “Yes, doctor.’” “And inoculated him with the serum I left?” “Yes, doctor."" ‘And put him in the spécially pre- pared underwear?" ** Yes, doctor.”” “How is he?" “Well, be may pull through. He has a good constitution.”” comicbooks.com