Life, 1920-09-02 · page 20 of 52
Life — September 2, 1920 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct satirical pieces: **Top cartoon**: A social commentary on class judgment. Two men gossip about a third man's character, concluding he's dishonest simply because "his wife's clothes" are expensive. The satire mocks superficial class assumptions—the notion that a man's honesty can be judged by his wife's wardrobe, likely critiquing both snobbery and hypocrisy about wealth display. **"When Lydia Danced"**: A nostalgic poem contrasting old-fashioned propriety with modern behavior. The speaker recalls a refined, restrained minuet-dancing woman, then laments her daughter dances the "shimmy" (a 1920s jazz dance) with uninhibited physicality. This reflects generational anxiety about changing morals and the "flapper" era. **Bottom cartoons**: Two brief joke exchanges. The railroad superintendent joke plays on a commuter mistaking home furnace experience for engine knowledge. The political panel sarcastically suggests Democratic voters scrutinize their platform for loopholes ("may-I-knot hole"). The page reflects 1920s concerns: class pretension, generational conflict, and political skepticism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
yas wi" r ¥ 4 Yo ky SoM vy Ooh - A / vi (Ann S Sc: Whe & hd , a vif . yak ws}, WON Ome FH yt ADD =», | PONS in! y NIN i) Ne Clg UCONN yf WY) Ss a Tia a! “HE SEEMS LIKE A DECENT CHAP, BUT IS HE HONEST?” “1 DON'T THINK so.” “why not?” “LOOK AT HIS WIFE'S CLOTHES.” When Lydia Danced EST: HEN Lydia danced the minuet, A queen there was of etiquette; And I might touch her finger tip Or watch the flash of eye and lip Behind her fan of lace and jet Nortu Ah! She was such a gay coquette! My heart was like her own aigrette, And trembled at her curtsy dip, When Lydia danced! Now, Lydia’s daughter makes me fret; She dances like a bold grisette— She parks and shimmies; has a grip That holds me tight from check to hip; And makes me that sweet time regret When Lydia danced! LES. AILROAD SUPERINTENDENT: Do you know how to fire an engine? Commuter: Well, I ought to; I've been taking care of my furnace ever since 1914. Experts declare that the next war will be in the air. HERE are voters who will scan the planks in the Democratic platform very, Like the present peace? very carefully for a may-I-knot hole. ae eles ae