Life, 1921-02-03 · page 35 of 46
Life — February 3, 1921 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Winter Sports" Poem:** Roger Burlingame's nostalgic verse contrasts youthful enthusiasm for winter activities (sledding, skating, coasting) with aging's decline into cold-intolerance. The speaker once embraced snow and ice; now he seeks warmth and dreams of Panama. The satire targets the universal human experience of aging—loss of physical vigor and adventurous spirit replaced by preference for comfort. **"De Senectute" Cartoon:** This depicts an elderly couple attempting to keep pace with modern life. The title references Cicero's essay on old age. The grandparents appear fashionably dressed but awkwardly out of step, illustrated through their interaction in the accompanying sketch about shopping for cream cheese. The humor lies in generational disconnect—grandpa's earnest but confused efforts to match grandma's contemporary expectations, highlighting how elderly people struggle to adapt to changing times and consumer goods. Both pieces gently mock aging through loss of competence and relevance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Winter Sports CAN recall when I was young (Years, | may add, and years ago), The praise of winter oft I sung, And snow. [ used to coast on sleds and skis In those remote and callow years, Nor did I fret if I should freeze y ears, did 1 with indignant frown ent the wayward snowball’s smack ; even when it trickled down hack. «ver dreaded to go out yond my radiator’s reach; I never even thought about Palm Beach, I once possessed a brilliant knack Of skating; taught my comrades how To do the outer edge. Alack! Not now. I used to coast a mile or so By moonlight on a giant sled; But now when moonlight comes I go To bed. I cannot bear the snow and ice, The sleet, the slush, the winter storm; I seck the places where it’s nice And warm, And if I had my way I'd pack My trunk and fly on eager wing To Panama and not come back Till spring. Roger Burlingame. DE SENECTUTE GRANDPA MAKES AN EFFORT TO KEEP UP WITH GRANDMA Shopping with Patience in a Small you know there's two kinds—there’s that Towa made from the sour, and there's that made from the sweet. The Time; T’other Day. 1: Uh-huh, The Place: Hawkins’s Ice-cream and H.: Well, now, you must be looking Oyster Shop. for Swiss cheese. 1 am the Girl. I: No, cream cheese. (A ray of hope.) I: Do you keep cream cheese? It comes in little packages wrapped in tin Hawkins (doubtfully): You mean pot- foil. cheese? H. (with enthusiasm): Oh, wrapped in I: Cream cheese. tin foil, is it? Well, now, I used to work H. (suggestively): Well, cottage for the A. & P., and we handled it. You just go to any A. & P. and ask for Nenf- Aviator: 1 Lost CONTROL! : Gardener: yr Dip NotT—yve_ Cheese? STEERED RIGHT SMACK FER TH’ CENTER O° I (gently but firmly): Cream cheese chatel cheese—(with infinite superiority) THAT COLD FRAME! H. (displaying erudition): Well, now, and you'll get what you want! comicbooks.com