Life, 1920-02-12 · page 18 of 44
Life — February 12, 1920 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from Life magazine presents satirical social commentary through multiple segments: **"Valentines" Poem & Illustration**: A sentimental verse about Cupid delivering love notes, paired with a sketch showing an elderly man surrounded by many children. The caption identifies him as "the author of one of the most popular books on 'birth control'"—a dark joke suggesting ironic contradiction between his published message and his large family. **"Originality" Dialog**: Satirizes shallow modern conversation. A man criticizes girls for using clichéd "parrot phrases" and "carbon-copy" slang, yet when the woman agrees and wants to dance, he dismisses the conversation entirely—exposing his hypocrisy about valuing original thought. **"Benefactor" Quip**: A brief joke mocking newspaper magnate (likely Frank Munsey), claiming he reduces competition by consolidating papers rather than expanding the industry. The page targets early 20th-century social pretension, dating advice culture, and media consolidation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
270 Valentines DOWN al the tanes, despite the rai A dancing glamour goes; And in the street, though slants et, Are golden gleams and glows. Who is it brings on rainbow wings OF love and spring these signs? ‘Tis Cupid, he (his fardel see!) Comes bearing Valentines. There’s one for you; for me one, too. As for the rest, who cares? For them their bent! We're well con- tent To mind our own affairs! THE AUTHOR OF ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR BOOKS ON “ BIRTH CONTROL” — Onginality “] LIKE a girl who possesses orizi- nality, don’t you?” he asked. “Il say I do,” she replied. “IT admire the girl who speaks | own language, one who isn’t cramnx with parrot phrases—who isn’t a bro- mide—” ‘ everything,” she completed with an interruption. “But,” he pursued, “the conversa- tion of girls: nowadays seems to | confined to a few stereotyped slang sayings—their vocabulary is just a car- hon-copy affair.” “How do they get that way?” “Perhaps you'd rather dance than sit out here,” he suggested as a means of terminating the animated conversa- tion, “Tl tell the world 1 would,” she responded, starting for the dance floor. “Where do they get that stuff?” she queried, as she directed her part ner’s attention to a couple whose dar ing seemed a hit out of the ordinary “They perfected that step th selves—it's original,” he informed. “ Original is right,” was the response Benefactor “NLR. MUNSEY is certainly a jour- nalistic genius.” “How so?” “Why, he makes only one paper grow where two grew before.” LAYING THE CORNERSTONE OF 4 HOME Te hive the wrong way is e-v-it comicbooks.com