Life, 1908-04-16 · page 14 of 24
Life — April 16, 1908 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
## The Cartoon The top illustration satirizes horse racing after betting is abolished. Gentlemen in top hats ride horses numbered "13" at what appears to be a racetrack grandstand. The title's irony is clear: without gambling, horse racing loses its appeal entirely—the sport becomes absurd and pointless. ## The Text The page discusses vaudeville's popularity and superiority over "legitimate" theater. Theater managers at Keith and Proctor's venues allegedly treat audiences fairly with reasonable pricing and courteous service, unlike Broadway theaters that charge excessive prices and mistreat patrons. The text describes a typical vaudeville program's variety acts: orchestra, juggling, fencing, songs, and established performers like Rose Coghlan. ## Context for Modern Readers This reflects early 1900s entertainment economics: vaudeville was thriving, affordable entertainment competing successfully against expensive legitimate theater. The "purified sport" cartoon jokes that activities derive meaning from vice—remove betting from racing and nothing remains. The vaudeville praise suggests Life magazine favored populist entertainment over elite theater establishments.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
geste noreomtty FUGe PURIFIED SPORT WHEN THE SIN OF BETTING IS ABOLISHED The Great Vogue of Vaudeville nderlie th ates is furnishing stage amuse- more persons than attend what are theatres, There are two reas sex under the control of the Theatrical led the public so often by giving bad or hat they have ce of the public, and the vaudeville thea ¢ fact that vaudeville ment toa great called the legitir ¢ legitimate he rust have fe mediocre entertainment at excessive price lost the confid tres, on the other hand, have been for a long t the character of the entertainment they of r their | of Lire are probably not to prov e tried to sa he reade ons instead of to swindle them, great extent a factor in the theatrical situation it patrons of vaudeville, but is quite worth their consideration, Let us ille performance at Keith and Proct cent typical fth Avenue Theatre. These managers have studied the public and are appar: ently good judges of what va off, the best seats are one dollar back row unless an addit | price be paid to a speculator nt who divides the excess with the management Next its be the duty and apparently the pleasure of every one connected with the house to be polite and courteous to its and toughness care for you s effect on th and good of its k which grieved Mr. Mackaye becaus mental processes, but it is at least Let us go through this one pi ne. First, there is an over by a fairly good orchestra. Then ec ggling and xylophone playing, the latter done \ ake the xylophone scem almost a musical ins Then a playlet of no consequence in itself and crudely acted, but justified nexciting fencing combat which brings down the curtain with The next number consists of songs and na leading artist in nis is followed by a nes an exhibition of combi g woman who has bee musical comedy at the expe musical number which produces remarkable results from the fact that the music is produced by nine persons playing simultancously on a grand and four upright pignos. ‘Then we have a playlet, in which that old-time favorite of New York, Miss Rose Coghlan, monologue by a yc © hou comicbooks.com