Life, 1909-12-30 · page 11 of 29
Life — December 30, 1909 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct pieces of satirical content: **"The New Year"** (top): A courtroom scene where a judge presides over New Year's cases, depicting the annual ritual of making resolutions and seeking leniency for past misdeeds. **"Improvement"**: A brief political satire about Mayor-elect Gaynor, suggesting his promises to make the city "wiser and calmer" are questionable given Edward M. Shepard's prior warnings about him. **"The Burlesque"** (center): A lengthy poem satirizing theatrical performances, mocking everything from melodramatic acting to pretentious performers—likely critiquing contemporary Broadway productions and their overwrought style. **"Birds of a Feather"** (left margin): A cartoon illustration of an ostrich and other birds, accompanying unnamed social commentary. The page reflects early-20th-century urban politics and entertainment culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Improvement ECT GAYNOR is im- IVE proving as a public speaker. He has been making much wiser and calmer observations than he did just before election. Sometimes he talks so well as almost to ex- plain why Mr. Edward M. Shepard wanted him to be Mayor. AYOR-E BIRDS OF A FEATHER THE NEW YEAR Wealth or fame, oF Maybe an heir or two. The Burlesque MAZE of color, glittering pell-mell ! Peroxide halo and melodic yell! Forest of frenzied tights in rhythmic prance! Be-powdered glance! A group of sad, anamic-visaged males Who to the uproar lend soul-sickening wails; breast and __ belladonic Basso-profundo’s gurgling, —_gutt’ral groans; Enthusiastic tenor’s tender tones! Contralto and soprano (famed New Yorkers), Rivalling hapless g porkers! The mawkish wit, embracing nymphs half imprisoned ¢ jest, half blasphemous, half And apes, with antic coarse, and vulgar tongue Those who have scaled Fame’s ladder’s highest rung. With ranccous mirth and drink-befuddled leer, The phantom audience rises, tier on ti And were for kindly trow They'd form a sorrier pageant than the show. it not gloom, I But the soft writhing pall of grateful smoke Softens the coarseness of the silly folk In pleasure’s name, perchance, one ht excuse them; The pity is, it really docs amuse GR. But Not Tax-Proof A MODEL concrete house has. be by a corporation at Montclair sey. It weighs five hundred t y_ two ingredients—coner s, in effect, a solid chunk of rock, ani expected to’ last forever. It is fire pro water proof, rat and mouse proof—every: x proof an imperishable ms sort of use that is not tax proof s it may be no more unec would ben panies and no ¢ The perishabl are probably helps to make al. If souls ¢ ntelair_may next generation hy a py tierce with its style M®s Frost: Some one whose telephone was out of order. FRO. Peace, perfect peace T: Who was it that said, comicbooks.com