Life, 1916-12-07 · page 59 of 94
Life — December 7, 1916 — page 59: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a Victorian-era allegorical poem disguised as a Christmas pudding recipe. Using deliberately archaic spelling ("ye," "Puddynge"), it presents pudding ingredients as moral and emotional virtues. Each ingredient symbolizes an abstract concept: suet represents "Strength," eggs symbolize "Innocence and Youth," breadcrust means "Life," sugar stands for "Love," currants represent "Joy," and raisins signify "Happiness." Crucially, "Milk of Human Kindness" and brandy (for "Yuletide Zest") anchor the recipe's moral message—the pudding becomes a metaphor for creating Christmas goodwill and peace on earth. The satire appears gentle: *Life* magazine uses cooking instructions to encode Victorian moral values, suggesting that proper Christmas celebration requires blending virtue, joy, kindness, and merriment. The ornamental border and formal presentation emphasize this is sentimental, middle-class Victorian sentiment wrapped in whimsical antiquity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Christmasse Puddpnge “S* Will, a Cook by Trade, Whercof is Christmasse Puddynge made?" “Such Puddynge shall be mixt with Care, Of Parcels just and Spices rare; And Something worthie must be meant By everie pure Ingredient: ake first your Suet, clear and good, or ‘Strength, if rightlie understood ; Then Eggs, new-laid, that speak, forsooth, Of Gentle Innocence and Youth ; “Your well-ground Breaderust, ‘Life’ we call; Your Sugar, ‘Love’ that sweetencth all; Ye Currants image Joy, I guess; Ye Stoneless Raisins, Happinesse. “Add Milk of Human Kindnesse, then, For Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men, Forgetting not ye Brandie (lest Your Puddynge lack for Yuletide Zest), “Nor Nutmegge, Mace and Cinnamon For Jollitic and Sport and Fun, Nor Salt nor Lemon Juice and Rind For Wit with Antick Jest combined “ Now steam it well within ye Pot, Then dish your Puddyn: piping hot; Soe bear it, blazing, uppe ye Hall With ‘ Merrie Christmasse unto all!'” comicbooks.com