Life, 1920-11-11 · page 32 of 44
Life — November 11, 1920 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page mixes humor with advertising, typical of Life's format. The cartoons are brief, satirical vignettes: **"The Men Higher Up"** mocks ancient gods as capricious bullies—a commentary on authority figures who abuse power without consequence. **"The Reproof Valiant"** is a boarding-house joke about sparse meals; the landlady serves minimal meat, and a new boarder claims he's seen worse. **"Preparedness Note"** appears to reference the German Crown Prince, mocking him as so underdeveloped he's just learning basic skills—post-WWI satire. **"Jack's Narrow Escape"** depicts Irish laborers nearly dropping tenor John McCormack during opera, with ethnic dialect humor (common then, offensive now). Other brief jokes involve marital humor and misunderstandings. **Advertisements** dominate: Egyptian Deities cigarettes (30¢), Rogers Peet overcoats, Bayer Aspirin (asserting its genuine trademark), and travel tours. The page reflects 1920s American popular humor: ethnic stereotypes, domestic comedy, and early mass-market advertising targeting "cultured" consumers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Men Higher Up When ancient gods lived on Parnassus, They said to plain mortals,“ Don’t sass us!” They'd snicker and chortle At everything mortal, Then hatch up new schemes to harass us. —E.C. R., in New York Sun The Reproof Valiant Lanptapy: Don't be afraid of the meat, Mr. Grant Grant (a new boarder): I’m not afraid of it. I've seen twice as much meat, and it didn’t frighten me a bit. e —Royal Magazine (London) Preparedness Note The Crown Prince has just made his first horseshoe. He will now get a boxing glove and challenge somebody to a t Our overcoats of handsome * “Scotch Mists” have a long and useful “Life”! Wear as well as they look. Cold-proof ! Rain-proof! Two-ccats-in-one. On the job in all weathers. Money back if they age too quickly! *Registered Trademark. Mail orders filled, ROGERS PEET COMPANY Broadway Broadway at 13th St. “Four at 34th St. Convenient Broadway Corners” Fifth Ave. at Warren at 41st St. NEW YORK CITY EUROPE 1921 Parties enrolling now. Moderate prices. Most interesting routes, Great success 1920. TEMPLE TOURS © emir" EGYPTIAN DEITIES “The Utmost in Cigarettes Plain End or Cork Tip People of « culture and inement invariabl, PREFER. Deities to any other cigarette. 30% Shaaagur PRY van oA fighost Grace Rotih end Egyptian Ogarelles isthe Kid Jack's Narrow Escape When John McCormack was singing in grand opera, as Signor Foli, some years ago, he had on one occasion to sing from a stage y which was hardly strong enough to support so heavy a man. . The stage man- ager told off two assistants to hold it up from beneath, but before Signor Foli was more than half through one of the men be- low said, “ Be jabers, Moike, the Oitalian is moighty heavy!" “Let's dhrop him, Pat; he’s only an‘ Oitalian, after al Voice of Signor Foli above: “Will ye, ye divils, will ye?” “Tare an’ ‘ounds, but he’s an Oirish- man! Hould him up for the loife of yez!” —Boston Transcript Curtain Hvuspann (newly married): Don't you think, love, if I were to smoke, it would spoil the curtains? Wire: Ab, you are the most unselfish and thoughtful husband in the world; cer- tainly it would. Hvuspaxn Well, then, take the curtains down.—Carolina Tar Baby. Not So Far Wrong “T was standing at the edge of the group listening to the Franklin Roosevelt speech at the Union Pacific station,” relates P. C. C. to the Topeka Capital, “and a man said 10 me, y, I'm hard of hearing. Can you tell me what that fellow is selling there on the end of that car?’” Not Understood Tue Artist: Will you sit for me? Tne Ex-er-Lavy: Wodger think I am— blinkin’ ‘en ?—Sydney (Australia) Bulletin When the man you are addressing looks at his wife, shut up—The Houghton Line. \ COPY THIS SKETCH gpdtet me sce what you can do with tt, Pissie state your ores TheLandon School; | Name ‘‘Bayer’’ identifies genuine | | ca introduced to physicians in Insist on unbroken packages BAVER-TA ABLETS oF ASPIRIN Asoiri the trade mark of Barer Manctactere Mououceticacidester of Salicylicacid comicbookskea a