Life, 1920-12-02 · page 78 of 97
Life — December 2, 1920 — page 78: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page mixes advertising with satirical content typical of 1920s Life magazine. The main cartoon, "Futile Words," satirizes the gap between what adults tell children to do and what children actually do. It lists conventional safety warnings ("Look both ways," "Keep off the grass," "Speed limit twenty miles an hour") alongside children's predictable dismissals of these instructions. The joke is that such admonitions are universally ignored—hence "futile." The page also includes a Resinol Soap advertisement featuring a woman reading, and a "Danderine" hair tonic ad. The "Accuracy" column (continued from page 1042) appears to be editorial commentary defending typographical errors in published texts, arguing pedantic critics waste effort correcting minor mistakes in literature. The "Among Those Godless Ones" section humorously portrays a secular couple considering attending church as a novel Christmas celebration, implying irreligious households were notable enough to satirize in 1920s America.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Cc HRISTMAS LIFE. 4 Vhal you ttle Kary thas Cecnfligecn r re Trial free — Dept. Q-9, Resinol, Baltimore, Md. Futile Words OWN in front! Please move forward in the car. Don't rock the boat. Look both ways before’ crossing the street. Dancer!! R.R. crossing. Stor! Loox! Listen ! Keep off the grass. Speed limit twenty miles an hour. Get at least eight hours sleep every day. Danger !—Thin ice. Do not get on or off of a moving car. Wait until it comes to a full stop. “Johnnie, don't you ever go swimming again!” “Save your moncy, young man; some day you may need it.” ONSIDER the firefly—all lit up and no place to glow. EUROPE 192 Parties enrolling now. Moderate prices. Most interesting routes. Great succes TEMPLE TOURS © Accuracy (Continued from page 1042 and sent it hopefully to the press. A proof was denied me, and of course “baths” screamed at me maliciously as “paths” from the inexorable types When I sought consolation of the lady indicated she cheerfully suggeste:| that the Victorian laureate doubtless wrote “paths” in the first place and that “baths” was a typographical error. Morcover, there was no sense in lathing the stars, anyhow! I am no longer of that small and van- ishing company that will die to preserve the sanctity of classic texts, or be rolled flat in the swift-moving press in a last frantic effort to delete a desolating comma. Nobody knows and nobody cares, and the meticulous critic pondering my wares may register against me on his score card all the errors he pleases. | shall view them with pride and satisfac tion as a glorious testimony to my affinit with the great body of mortals who walk in darkness and neither recognize nor reward the poor wight who would make language a weapon of precision. Among Those Godless Ones RS. PARKER: John, let's celebrate Christmas in some way we never did before. Parker: All right. We might try go- ing to church, “DANDERINE Stops Hair Coming Out—Wondef Stimulating Tonic A few cents buys a bottle of “Danderd, After an application of “Danderine” you st find a fallen hair or any dandruff, besides ef hair shows new life, vigor, brightness, more ore and thickness.—Any drug store. i comicbooks.com