Life, 1920-11-04 · page 35 of 60
Life — November 4, 1920 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This *Life* magazine page contains several satirical pieces reflecting early 20th-century American culture: **Top story** (by Henry William Hanemann): A humorous account of joining college fraternity societies ("Wok-Woks," "Kappa Bohokus"). The joke mocks how members constantly demand money from each other—the narrator is financially harassed repeatedly and finally escapes via taxicab. He then jokingly "initiates" his wife Mercedes by pinning her with his badge, suggesting these societies are absurd status symbols. **Middle cartoon**: A banquet chairman announces a speaker, then tells guests to leave before introducing him—implying the speaker is so boring or disliked that the chairman prefers the audience absent. This satirizes tedious public speaking. **Bottom sections**: Light satirical observations—a profiteer claims price drops will "ruin" him while maintaining profits; Girl Scouts humorously defend their utility; golf authorities standardize ball specifications while the writer jokes they should similarly regulate profanity on the course; and a comparison between Eastern and Western civilization via gun notches versus car dents.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
prodigal. I also doubled (in hard-earned brass) as the accompanying fatted sac- rifice. In the course of the afternoon my pin was identified by two more Wok-Woks, another Goof and a Kappa Bohokus. The remainder of a perfect working day was spent in complete capitulations to their several interests. On the way home I found the first un- fortunate Goof lying in wait for me. He had been wretchedly unsuccessful, As one society man to another—five dollars, he said, would tide him over until he heard from his Kokomo bank. I was saved from further financial embarrass- ment by a passing taxicab, Once home, I rushed inside to Mer- cedes and embraced her. Feverishly I unpinned the Wok-Wok badge from my anguished waistcoat and transferred it to her modish blouse. “What does this mean?” she asked suspiciously. “My dear,” said I, “college societies are a great thing—for the undergraduate. From now on, henceforth and forever after, you're a Wok-Wok.” One of these days, Mercedes says, I'm going to call her one harsh name too many, and then she will go back to her mother, Henry William Hanemann. | “\Y/HAT do you think of the break in prices?” “Tt will ruin me,” replied the profiteer. “T'll have to sell what I have left at only a little more than it cost me.” rman (of public banquet): GENTLEMEN NEXT SPEAKER, THERE WILL BE A SHORT RECES: » G TO GO OUT AND STRETCH YOUR LEG: Guest: wuots tHE > AKER? Chairman: BEFORE TELLING YOU WHO HE 1S, I WOULD RATHER WAIT UNTIL YOU COME BACK, BEFORE I INTRODUCE THE NG YOU ALL A CHANCE “WHAT FUN CAN YOU POSSIBLY GET OUT OF BEING A GIRL ScouT?” “ISN'T IT SOME FUN TO HELP KEEP THE COUNTRY GOING?” Refinements of Golf TH weight and size of the golf ball is going to be standardized. You can still, praise Heaven! use a ball that floats, but in Great Britain the Royal and Ancient Golf Club has decreed that after next April a golf ball must not weigh more than 1.62 ounces, and the size must not be less than 1.62 inches in diameter. Now that conserva- tive England has led the way in this more or less radical concession to the ney experts, so thing ought to be done to standardize the pro- fanity. The damns and hells should be regulated so they will do the greatest amount of good for the least amount of moral energy expended. Signs OTHAMITE: The East is more civilized than the West. You don't see New Yorkers wearing guns with notches. Visttor: No, they run around with dents in their mud guards. comicbooks.com