Life, 1908-12-10 · page 8 of 24
Life — December 10, 1908 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct pieces: 1. **"Omar in the Bowery"** — A poem by Francis J. Ziegler depicting working-class life in New York's Bowery neighborhood, using dialect to describe poverty and hardship (cheap lodgings, minimal food, worn clothing). 2. **"The Star Player"** — An article discussing football and the umpire's critical role in the game. 3. **"Victory"** — A short story about a man who has completed some difficult task (appears to be intellectual or professional work), returning home triumphantly to his supportive wife. 4. **"The Ventriloquist"** — A cartoon illustration (bottom left) showing a well-dressed man with a dummy, likely making a social commentary about relationships or control, though the specific satire is unclear without additional context. The page represents typical early-20th-century Life magazine content: satirical poetry, sports commentary, domestic fiction, and visual humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
miSRREs Omar in the Bowery IT up! De bunch of bums wot spent de night In Kelly's lodgings hustle fur a bite, An’ Bill de Barkeep’s countin’ up de balls His pug will land him on dis evening’s fight. A slice of plug-cut in an old dudeen, A can of booze, a bite of dog-between Two hunks of bread to chaw—me an’ me rag, A better bunch dan dis we never seen. De tout whose wad faded to thirty cents, Dem guys whose shoestrings made dem happy gents, Might have to change der places by de track— Dey ain’t so different wen it comes to sense. An‘ dem wot passed dis way wid nary a red, An’ dem wot always set ‘em up instead, Wen down an’ out is very much alike; Dey ain't no roses wen you find 'em dead. Tough! dat de barkeep hands you out a flag; Tough! dat a head should follow every jag; De Boss wot swung his ward fur many years Might yet end on de stonepile as a vag. Some drops der cases on de might-have-beens, Some lose der nickels in de slot machines, Aw! take me tip an’ give de odds de laugh, Your wads is safest wen der in your jeans, "Nuff Said. —Francis J. Ziegler. The Star Player HEN we dramatize football, the man that will get the star part is the umpire. He is the most important foot- ball player in these days, and the one who is doing most tor the game. SPrINIsHED! 2 As the Man came into the room it was quite evident that the great crisis through which he had been struggling for so long with unequal success had passed. His end had been attained. His wife, noble woman that she was, regarded him with that joy and pride that comes from the knowledge of the im- mense difficulties that sometimes rear themselves in front of the man pursuing an almost helpless quest. “You don’t mean to say,’” she asked, “ that you have been successful? "? My task is over; the midnight vigils past.”” She smiled brightly up at him as she took his hand, in her face the full consciousness of his wonderful powers of concentration—how for days he had gone without his meals, how his supreme self-control had ever held the mastery of him. “In three days?’ she asked vaguely, as if it could not be. “In three days!"* Then she arose and clasped him in her arms. “ And to think, dear,”’ she cried, rapturously, “that not a single person in this hotel has ever before been able to do that THE VENTRILOQUIST pictare puzzle in less than a week.”