Life, 1906-01-04 · page 21 of 48
Life — January 4, 1906 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces: **"English as She Is Spoke"** mocks rural/working-class American dialect through incomprehensible phonetic spelling—a common turn-of-the-century humor device targeting non-standard speech. **"Great on the High Jump"** satirizes early automobiles as unreliable contraptions, comparing them to grasshoppers. The joke about the chauffeur running off with the wife, with the husband's primary concern being the car breaking down, mocks automotive obsession. **"To the Father of His Country"** is a mock-heroic poem about Brigham Young (Mormon leader), praising his polygamy and large family in grandiose language. The Latin inscription at bottom parodies classical monuments. This targets both Young's polygamy and contemporary praise of large American families/population growth. **"Evolution of the Auto Enthusiast"** depicts changing facial expressions across five automobile designs, suggesting how car design (or obsession) literally transforms owners' appearances—satirizing automotive enthusiasm as deforming. The page reflects early-1900s concerns: automobile mania, class-based dialect humor, and debates over immigration/population growth.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
GREAT ON Hivave Humdoom | | i} | English as She Is Spoke. | ‘OSSATCHOOGOT ? Af{noonnoos. Enthinkinnut ? Naw. Nuthninnut ‘cept lasspeceh- rosefelt’s, Lottarot Donsayso ? i shun? Lassdition Wosswetherpredick- Donbleevetho. Fu mevkintellwossgunnado hing- AL1 HOW THEY CAN DODGE THEM AIR BUZZ-WAGONS, THE HIGH JUMP THESE AIR GRASSHOPPERS AREN'T MUCH FOR A STEADY GAIT, BUT IT DOES BEAT The Kind. Brcss: I wonder what kind of an auto Cableton has ? Grau the smell, and perhaps I can tell you, Describe Awful! M® SENGER: Your wife has run off with your chauffeur, “Good heavens! And that machine is likely to break down any minute!’ THE EVOLUTION OF THE AUTO ENTHUSIAST. 2) To the Father of His Country. A mo erected. ent to Brigham Young is shortly to be laity Paper . ET his praises loud be eun Raise a shaft to Brigh Let it pierce the spreading b! was 80 full of love ough and some to spare For the old maid every whe Mortal who could faithful be Not to one but sixty-thr One who reckoned Not by numbers but by tons F To all racial suicid whatever mi Rescue from oblivion’s dust . Founder of the Nuptial Trust ! Ready ever to car And relieve the lo: Of the empty-hearted Of the sore neglected 5 Master hand of husbandry, At the altar ever be. Father of a wondrous band — Babies sp Sure preserver of the ad on every hand. Fountain head of populace— Let the lofty monolith To this King of Kin and Kith On a firm foundation rise Till it penetrate the shies ; The Large upon its granite ba: this fair inscription | Jevestus Maximus, Semper MaTkimonivs! | Pater Er Itrerator! Frequestissines Uxor f | Moxumentem Respice Hoc Ab ARTEM BRricamy, i} T is dangerous to be overpraised. tends to impair a man’s jud his own cor dif carried to a eat excess it invites. reaction, Some- times we fear that President Roosevelt, is too extravagantly lauded. But we are not a bit scared about George W. Perkins. He is on the safe side. comicbooks.com