Life, 1925-08-27 · page 22 of 36
Life — August 27, 1925 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top illustration depicts a domestic dining scene titled "The Gay Nineties," sarcastically contrasting modern convenience with exploitation. It shows "Hulda," a maid-of-all-work earning twelve dollars monthly, performing multiple household duties (washing, furnace-tending, laundry, lawn care) while servants laugh at dinner guests' jokes. The satire critiques how working-class domestics were underpaid yet remained loyal for years. Below, "Why Newspaper Men Favor Lynchings" satirizes journalists' cynicism and corruption. Through dialogue, it mocks how newspaper men accept bribes and favors (ringside boxing tickets, introductions to theatre producer David Belasco), suggesting they exploit their professional connections for personal gain. The title implies journalists might sensationalize violent crimes for profit. The small "Gyrational" joke at bottom is unrelated wordplay. Overall, the page critiques class exploitation and professional corruption in 1890s America.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE GAY NINETIES AN UP-TO-THE-MINUTE DINING-ROOM IN THE NINETIES,” SHOWING THE OLD-FASHIONED MAID-OF-ALL-WORK. HULDA NEVER COULD QUITE BE BROKEN OF THE HABIT OF LAUGHIN UPROARIOUSLY AT THE JOKES OF THE GUESTS —BUT SHE WOULD WASH THE WINDOWS, TEND THE FURNACE, DO THE FAMILY WASH AND CUT THE LAWN IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR HOUSEWORK, ALL FOR TWELV E DOLLARS A MONTH. AND SHE STAYED IN THE SAME FAMILY FOR YEARS AND YEARS, Why Newspaper Men Favor Lynchings “ ELL, well, well, so you're a newspaper man, ch? Used to be a newspaper man myself once. Oh, it wasn't much, When I was in high school I took classified ads one summer for the Canary Crossroads Clarion.” “Oh, Mr. Wham, I think newspaper work must be azefully fascinating. Do you know David Belasco? My friends have always told me that if I had any influence at al!—just an introduction to him, you know—I’d have a splendid chance to become a great—this is what my friends say, you know—actress. Do you know Mr. Belasco?” “Dear Mr. Wuam: I am writing this to introduce my nephew, Horace, who is so anxious to go into newspaper work. He wrote the prize theme of his class, ‘My Experi- ences on My Summer Vacation,’ and Miss Meddlebury, his teacher, said she believed his career lay in writing. Noth- ing very big to start with, you know, just a ‘cub reporter’ or ‘printer’s devil’ or whatever you call them.” “Say, Bill, I got a friend come to town and she’s never seen a fight, see ‘o I thought you, with your pull, could fix us up with ringside seats at the big bout to-night. Oi course, we'd pay for the tickets, if necessary.” “Oh, no, you never ring in on any side graft, you don't! Say, feller, I wish I had your chances. Say, Jerry, here's 3 newspaper feller says he don’t ever ring in on any side graft. Ha, ha, ha!" Tip Bliss. Gyrational "WHIRL: When I woke up this morning I found all the bedelothes wound tightly around me. O'Fupce: My, you must have slept like a top. comicbooks.com