Life, 1910-07-07 · page 18 of 48
Life — July 7, 1910 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous alphabetical guide to urban archetypes and social vices in turn-of-the-century New York. Each letter represents a character type or phenomenon the editor wants to mock: **Key figures include:** gamblers preying on women ("Gimlet-eyed Gambler"), criminals ("Hefty Housebreaker"), taxi drivers overcharging ("Turbulent Taxis"), and working girls being exploited ("night-blooming rambler"). **Social references:** "The White Way" (Broadway's bright lights), "Erie" stock gambling, "rarebits" (Welsh rarebit—food blamed for indigestion and moral looseness), and whisky-induced hallucinations. **The satire's point:** Life ridicules New York's entertainment district as morally corrupt—populated by con artists, prostitutes, drunks, and predators. The tone is cynical but playful, treating urban vice as inevitable human folly rather than serious crime. The accompanying small illustration labeled "By Proxy" remains unclear without additional context.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
18 Wild Oats Alphabet IS the Amiable Actress, The lobster-café's benefactress, B is the Bibulous Bounder, Who likes to be classed as a rounder. C is the Curious Corkscrew,— The favorite tool of New York's crew, D is the Diligent Driver, Who will not take less than a fiver. E is the Erring Elmiran, About to be fleeced by a siren. F is the Fellow from Corning, Who will not go home until morn- ing. G is the Gimlet-eyed Gambler, In wait for the night-blooming rambler. H is the Hefty Housebreaker, Disguised as a peaceable Quaker. 1 is the ‘igh-C Italian, With hair 4 la Richard Le Gallienne; J is the Jollification, His boosters will call “an ovation.” K is a Kelt from Killarney, Who borrows a dollar on blarney. L is the Lantern-jawed Loafer, Whom Crassus addresses as" Shoaf- er!” M is the Moonbeam so Mellow That shines on the girl and her fellow. N is the Nebulous Night-time, ¢ One Osculation arns them the prude’s repro- bation. THE STREET P is the Penitent’s Pillow, V is the Voice of the Victim That feels like a hot armadillo. Condemning the caitifi. who Ricked him W stands for the White Way The Tight Way, yet scarce the R is the Rabid Reporter, Polite Way Whose story was edited shorter. Q is his Querulous Query, “Oh, why did [ gamble’ in Erie!" X is the sum that Xpresses S is the Sinful Suggestion ‘The fine for xtatic xcesses That rarebits improve the digestion. y js the Yelling of Yellows By newsboys with lungs like to T's for the Turbulent Taxis, bellows. That swiftly rotate on thei Z is the Zebra so frisky . U is the Uniformed Usher Evoked by libations of whisky. “By PKoxy Ejecting a lingering lusher. Arthur Guiterman. comicbooks.com