Life — February 19, 1920 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Page Analysis **Top Section:** The sketch "Late for Dinner: The Man Who Has Forgotten His Boyhood" shows a man arriving home to his family, apparently having neglected domestic responsibilities—a commentary on adult preoccupations causing men to lose youthful joy and family connection. **Middle Section:** "A Ballad of Railroad Folders" by George R. Stewart, Jr. laments the disappearance of colorful railroad promotional materials. The poem nostalgically references once-vibrant folders for lines like the Santa Fe, Burlington, and Great Northern—now reduced to plain black-and-white schedules under U.S. Railroad Administration standardization (likely WWI-era wartime controls). It's a whimsical critique of bureaucratic efficiency replacing commercial artistry and visual appeal. **Bottom Section:** The cartoon "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" appears to be a political allegory using the classic tale, though specific identifications of the labeled figures remain unclear from this reproduction.