Life, 1920-01-01 · page 10 of 48
Life — January 1, 1920 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Missing Our Mark"** critiques the Department of Interior's reading list of "Thirty Books of Great Fiction," noting it omits major American authors like Mark Twain, James Fenimore Cooper, Huckleberry Finn, and Tom Sawyer—a glaring oversight the writer sarcastically describes as evidence American fiction is "bad as all that." **"Philological"** is a brief joke about language acquisition: someone spent two years in Paris but knows no French, while another lived five years in New York unable to speak English—mocking the difficulty of actually learning languages through mere residence. **"Scales"** humorously depicts three females of increasing age (10, 40, and 39) stepping on scales with progressively absurd excuses for weight gain, satirizing how people rationalize their bodies.
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Missing Our Mark HE D nt of the Interior in Washington is concerned about 1 interiors too. It runs a= al reading circle which begs citizens to tapestry their minds with ge literature. Lists of hooks are supplied, and we are urged read them, and then write in to say what we think about them. Docile people who do this will receive a certificate signed by the Commissioner of Education A fine scheme, and worthy of support But why is the Department of the Interior so down on home products? One of its reading lists is called “Thirty Books of Great Fiction.” Only five of the thirty are by Amer ican writers, and two of these are by that tedious old person, J. Fenimore Cooper. Is American fiction really so ad as all that?) We are sorry to think that any list of great novels could he compiled without including Mark Twain. We beg Mr. Claxton to jetti- son Cooper and put in Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. And how about “ Sleepy Hollow,” an American classic if ever there was one? Philological "} {® spent two years in Paris, yet know of he doesn't a word French.” “That's nothing; I've lived five s in New York and can't speak Scales ARY, aged ten, stepped off the scales proudly. “ Seventy-seven pounds!” she said. “Bet you don't weigh so much.” Jane, aged nine, weighed also and looked discouraged. “Seventy-two!” she sighed, “but I'm barefoot, or I'd weigh more, And you just ate three green apples. I'll beat you to-morrow.” It was fun getting weighed. Mary, aged forty, stepped off the scales proudly. “ Lost two pounds since yesterday she said. “ One-sixty three.” Jane, aged thirty-nine, weighed also and looked discouraged. “ One- sixty-nine!" she sighed, “but I have sweater. That's why I weigh = more. And that piece of chocolate CERTAINLY, TOXIPHERUS, 1 SHALL BE DELIGHTED TO RIDE IN YOUR NEW cake lla T'lll besdswn torasrrow.t Ek TWELVE-OAR POLYOPTERON, IT WILL BE MORE EXCITING THAN GOING OUT IN PERIANDER'S FOUR-OARED FORDERINUM was an anxiety getting weighed comicbooks.com