Life, 1920-07-08 · page 7 of 40
Life — July 8, 1920 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a poem titled "Rhythm" by Arthur Lawrence Bolton, illustrated with decorative sketches at the top and a single-panel cartoon below. The cartoon depicts three women in an interior setting having a conversation. The dialogue reads: "My dear! You don't mean to say it took Charley a month to propose." / "Yes, it did." / "He's getting worse and worse." The satire mocks the social expectation that men should propose quickly to women they court. The joke is that a one-month courtship before proposal is considered unacceptably slow—implying that in the era's social norms, proposals should happen almost immediately. The women's dismissive tone suggests the man's hesitation reflects poorly on his character or decisiveness. This reflects early 20th-century courtship conventions where prolonged engagements were viewed negatively.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HYTHM is Life’s undertone; Through it we live, and it alone. The vibrant rhythm of the breeze Makes the music in the trees, And in the rushing cataract Keeps the wave-crests curling back. We find the rhythm of the night In the Aurora’s pulsing light, And in the surging of the sea Is rhythm present constantly. For those who heed there is no lack; The speeding train upon the track, The purring engines on the deep An ever throbbing rhythm keep. In song and laughter, it is there, In sleep and in the fervent prayer, And in the legion’s thund’rous tread It shakes the foe and stirs the dead. It is the pulsings of the heart That ecstasies of love impart; The ceaseless swinging of the tides, By which our very life abides. When rhythm dies, then we are dead, As Luna who no light can shed. Pray tell me, then, what can be worse Than pulseless stuff they call free verse? Arthur Lawrence Bolton, “My DEAR! YOU DON’T MEAN TO SAY IT TOOK CHARLEY A MONTH TO PROPOSE.” “YES, IT pID.” “HE'S GETTING WORSE AND WORSE.” comicbooks.com ’