Life, 1912-08-29 · page 25 of 42
Life — August 29, 1912 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct satirical pieces from Life magazine: **Main Cartoon**: An adaptation of Shakespeare's *King Lear*, showing the title character confronting Goneril (depicted as an elaborately dressed woman). The artist (Oto Cushing) illustrates Lear's famous rage at filial ingratitude, with quoted lines from the play displayed. **"Things People Don't Say"**: A humor column listing social courtesies people never actually voice—admitting they didn't care about punctuality, interrupting with boring stories, or confessing they stalled buying theater tickets due to frugality. The satire targets polite social conventions by revealing the hypocrisies behind everyday interactions. **"A Wild One"**: A brief satirical news item mocking a Philadelphia newspaper report about a girl bitten by a zoo ass that subsequently died of lockjaw. The satire suggests the Pasteur Institute (rabies treatment center) is suspiciously liberal in "disseminating lockjaw among the masses"—implying cynical distrust of health institutions or their competence. Overall, the page blends literary, social, and institutional satire typical of Life's approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Oto Cushing King Lear (to Goneril)—Ingratitude! More hideous than the sea-monster! Iam ashamed that thou hast power To shake my manhood thus— Things People Don’t Say “IT COULD have been here on time, but I really didn’t care.” “Let me interrupt the conversation a few minutes with one of my point- less anecdotes.” “Don't excuse my handwriting. It is never better than in this instance, and generally worse.” “T expected you. Mr. Fountleigh. I have been up stairs primping for the past two hours.” “My answer to your proposal of marriage, Alfred, is YES, It took you long enough to come to the point, I must say.” That these hot tears, which break from me, perforce, Should make thee worth them—Blasts and fogs upon thee! Hear, Nature, hear! dear goddess, hear— How sharper than a serpent's tooth is his! “This weather is better than last year's. “These were not the best seats I could get. I had an attack of stingi- ness when I got to the box-office.” “Tam glad to have you go, Mr. Boresum. ‘Come and see us as seldom as you can.” The Limit Reached “IN Paris talented painters are being employed to design new dresses for leaders of fashion.” “If they try to make them any tighter than some of the present styles the painters will have to apply the dresses with their brushes.” A Wild One THs from a daily paper: PHILADELPHIA the Philadelphia relatives yea Maric Jones, who, it is alleged, was bitten by a ‘wild ‘ass when she ap- proached too near his cage while on a visit to the Zoo. The child is said to have recovered from her injuries, but the animal dicd shortly afterward of lockjaw. Looks as if this wild ass had been a resident of the Pasteur Institute. That salutiferous Institute is suspect- ed by many of being more than lib- eral in disseminating lockjaw among the masses. comicbooks.com