Life, 1905-05-04 · page 20 of 48
Life — May 4, 1905 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page parodies the famous children's poem by presenting it in contrasting "keys" or styles from different authors. **Thomas W. Lawson's version** (left) mocks muckraking journalism. Lawson, a Boston financier and reformer, announces Mary's lamb as if breaking a major scandal. His exaggerated "WARNING" tone and promise of further revelations satirize sensationalist investigative reporting—the absurdity being that he treats a simple nursery rhyme as exposé-worthy conspiracy, complete with references to "the System" opposing him. **James Whitcomb Riley's version** (right) is sentimental Americana. Riley, a known Indiana poet of rustic, folksy verse, presents the same story in gentle dialect ("ez," "'ittle"), emphasizing virtue and innocent beauty. The joke: the same nursery rhyme becomes either melodramatic political theater or saccharine sentimentality depending on the author's style. It's satire of both overwrought reformist rhetoric and clichéd romantic Americana.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MARY’S LITTLE LAMB. IN DIFFERENT KEYS. By Tom Masson, The Original. Mary had a tittle lamb ; Uisf And ¢; By Tuomas W. Lawson, or Boston, WARNING—MARY’S LAMB! When I made my first announcement that Mary had a little lamb, what happened ? The “System” laughed at me. read the statement and believed. And yet millions This is nothing, however, to what will appear in the next number. Then I shall make it plain to all that the lamb’s fleece is as white as snow. Not only this, but it will be proved beyond the possibility of a doubt that the lamb went everywhere that Mary did. Lawson. white as snore where that Mary went The lamb was sure to go es Wnitcoma RILey. ttle gyrul ez good ez she could be. st plain Mary, the nicest name you Onct there w Her name was see. She never said a naughty word, nor ate the pantry jam, all she had to comfort her was ist a ‘ittle lamb, With wobbly legs and bestest eyes and fleece ez white ez snow, *N’ everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go! comicbooks.com