Life, 1921-03-31 · page 22 of 34
Life — March 31, 1921 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page contains three distinct satirical pieces: **"Local Gossip"**: Rural dialect humor about a farmer named Horace plowing his field and sweating heavily. Young Horace's father jokes that if his son's girlfriend only likes him because of a romantic tractor, she should eat oats instead—a crude rural insult suggesting she's more suited to being livestock. **"Hymn to Home"**: A poem satirizing excessive hometown patriotism. The author humorously defends their loyalty to a Welsh town with an impossibly long, unpronounceable name (Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobllandisiliogogoch—a real place). The joke mocks people who sing provincial towns' praises while dismissing rivals like Cincinnati or East St. Louis. **"And Then Some"**: A satirical list of roles society expects wives to fulfill simultaneously (homemaker, diplomat, accountant, etc.), followed by a cartoon where Mrs. Dugan cynically notes that a wealthy donor won't spend money on their liniment. The satire critiques both unrealistic spousal expectations and shallow charity motivated by business interests.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LOCAL GOSSIP HINGS hev been tolerable quiet this week. Horace Carroll begun his ploughin’ but the frost wan't clean outen the ground and he hed a tough time uv it, He kep’ at it, follerin’ thet plough ‘till after sundown, an’ he gut so hot Horace ‘lows he must uv sweat a gallon at that. Horace wuz thinkin’ some of swappin’ his hosses and gittin’ a tractor but Young Horace sez he'd look nice hitchin’ it up to the buggy to take his gal buggy ridin’. His father sez ef the gal went ‘cuz she admired the fascinatin’ and romantic qualities uv that old roan mebbe Young Horace better take to eatin’ oats. (To be continued in our next.) And Then Some Max expects his wife to be Perpetuator of the Race Domestic Science Expert Trained Kindergartner Social Diplomat Purchasing Agent Superintendent of Operating Accountant Social Secretary General Counsel Manager Lost and Found Department Advertising Agent Intelligence Bureau Family Statistician Mistress of the Exchequer Playground Supervisor Judge of Juvenile Court Valet Nurse Employer of Labor Artist in the Art of Living Mrs. Clancy: LIF: Hymn to Home (Llanfairpwilgwyngyligogerychwyrndrobllandisiliogogoch is te name of a small town in Wales.) THE old home farm in Alabama, The old home town (Secaucus or Penn Yan) Have been a theme for song and drama Since ever bards and dramatists began. Well, you may love: your own Dobbs Ferry, But I'm, despite a separating ocean, A Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogery- chwyrndrobllandisiliogogochan. Let others sing of Cincinnati Or chant the praise of East St. Louis, Mo. I do not think that I am catty, But to their claims I volunteer a “No!” For other cities are not very Attractive, to che prim and settled notions, Of Llianfairpwllgwyngyllgogery- chwyrndrobllandisiliogogochans. T might have been, like Gilbert's hero, Italian, German, Jugo-Slay or Russ; My impulse is, however, zero About that fact to instigate a fuss. My loyalty is stationary, And I remain, with strenuous devotion, A Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogery- chwyrndrobllandisiliogogochan. Baron Ireland, THAT'S THE MAN WHAT JUST GAVE A HUNDRED THOUSAND 10 THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY, WOMAN is seeking an even larger sphere. CINT ON IT. Mrs. Dugan: BECORRY! HE OWNS OUR TINIMENT AN’ HE WON'T SPIND A comicbooks.com