Life, 1921-05-26 · page 9 of 36
Life — May 26, 1921 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts a donkey loaded with household goods meeting a camel similarly burdened. The caption references "Zachariah, the son of Eleazer," establishing a Biblical humorous scenario. Below, three short pieces offer satirical commentary: "In the Interest of Science" mocks absent-minded academics conducting absurd experiments (like shooting rockets at the moon); "The Reason" is a romantic poem by Anne Lewis Johnston about love's tenderness; and "Fatherly Advice," "Disqualified," and "He" are brief comedic dialogues about courtship and social propriety. The overall page combines visual humor with light satirical sketches targeting professors, romantic conventions, and social etiquette—typical of *Life* magazine's early 20th-century blend of gentle mockery and domestic comedy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Methuselah: WELL, WELL, SO YOU ARE ZACHARIAH, THE SON OF ELEAZER, YOUR GREAT, GREAT, CREAT, GREAT, GREAT, GREAT, GREAT, CREAT, GREAT, GREAT GRANDMOTHER AND I USED TO BE SWEETHEARTS, In the Interest of Science ELY entrenched behind alphabetic barricades, otherwise normal scientists permit their imaginations to run riot. What be plain damfoolishness in Tom, Dick or Aloysius, becomes, under the patronage of J. Henry Fossilbean, BSc, LL.D. Ph.D., F.R.G.S., ete. a sci- entific experiment. would Thus we have been treaicd to an attempt at signaling Mars, a measurement of Betelgeuse, and a pro- posal that a rocket be shot into the moon. We have professors speaking with and from the dead, and always from the lecture platform, on any subject that a fertile, overstocked cortex can invent. Most recently, a conclave of serious- minded professors from a university so large that it ought to know better, jour- neyed up to the zoo with a jazz band in popular standing and fed or annoyed the inmates with music, They discovered nothing more startling than that the ani- mals became aroused by the blue har- monies. One professor confessed that he “had seen them more excited over a piece of meat.” It is understood that on the next trip they will bring Julia Marlowe to recite “The Face on the Barroom Floor” for the crocodiles, in order to ascertain if crocodiles really weep. We have yet to hear that prominent physiologists have dropped the india rubber man from the top of the Woolworth tower to see how many times he will bounce. H.W. H. The Reason LOVE beauty, All things tender, Sweet and winsome, Graceful, slender; Dresses, laces, furbelows, And the fragrance of a rose. He—loves me, His morning paper, All things gross, Or light as vapor; Can it be we will agree, Just because he does love me? Anne Lewis Johnston. Fatherly Advice F he is clean and vigorous, suitable for you and quite perfect in your opinion; if he is the man you think he is and you want him, don’t put him on a pedestal and worship him as an idol, Be sensible. Wrap him around your little finger and get a ring on the next. Disqualified RS. HOYLE: Were you tried by a jury of your equals? Mrs. Doyte: I should’ say not; one of the jurywomen had on her last year’s hat. OTHER: Remember, Mary, that you must never point—under any cir- cumstances, Mary: I know, mother, but what am I to do when they pass the French pastry? HE: You are one girl in a thousand! Sue (tearfully): Have there been that many others? comicbooks.com