Life, 1919-07-03 · page 31 of 52
Life — July 3, 1919 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**The top cartoon** mocks the archetypal "busybody" neighbor—a man obsessively preoccupied with his own thoughts while children play nearby. The joke: Crawford observes that their neighbor "Professor Killjoy" is always "thinking up additions to the Ten Commandments"—satirizing the type of self-righteous person who constantly invents new rules and restrictions for others. **The article below** extends this critique, mocking conflicting scientific health fads. It references the trendy chewing-obsession movement (likely Horace Fletcher's "Fletcherism"), then contrasts it with modern scientists claiming such rules are unnecessary. The author argues both extremes lack common sense. **The satire's target**: The piece attacks pseudo-scientific crazes and those who impose rules on society. It includes references to Bolshevism, Prohibition, and obstinate Presidents—suggesting all ideological movements that ignore practical reality deserve ridicule. The underlying message: common sense matters more than fashionable theories.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE BUSYBODY Crawford: YOUR NEIGHBOR SEEMS TO BE ALWAYS IMMERSED IN DEEP THOUGHT Crabshaw. Theory and Common Sense FEW years ago we were told that we couldn't possibly be healthy and happy unless we chewed our food and chewed it and chewed it until our jaws ached. To-day a scientist comes along and pounds a rostrum with his clenched fist and peers into our per- plexed faces and assures us that we don’t need to chew anything if we don’t want to. All that’s necessary is to put our food into our mouths and swallow. According to this scientist, a man who swallows a porterhouse steak, a pound of French-fried po- tatoes and a Boston cream pie in seven minutes has as much chance of being untroubled by the pangs of dyspepsia as has the man who spends a minute and a half chewing a spoonful of con- sommé, The trouble with most rules which are laid down from time to time COMMANDMENTS. for our guidance in matters of health is that they are purely theoretical, and pay little or no attention to common sense. But if everybody had his quota of common sense there would be no wild theories, there would be no Bol- shevism, there would be no wars, there would be no drunkenness, there would be no Prohibitionist party, there would THAT'S PROFESSOR KILLJOY. HE'S BUSY THINKING UP ADDITIONS TO THE TEN be no appointment of silly Cabinet of- ficials by obstinate Presidents, there would be nothing but peace, happiness and prosperity. And since that would mean a very dull old world, it is to be hoped that still a few years will elapse before everyone has a rush of common sense to the head. KL. R. “LAST JULY AT THIS TIME— Wer WERE FISHING” comicbooks.com