Life, 1921-09-01 · page 25 of 35
Life — September 1, 1921 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page presents absurdist "Headlines We Have Yet to See"—impossibilities mocking contemporary politics and society. Examples include: a British king toasted at a Sinn Féin (Irish nationalist) gathering; Trotsky receiving a Nobel Award; Rockefeller pledging to fight Prohibition; and a Republican job-seeker declining to meet President Harding. Below are three brief humorous sketches: "Veneer" mocks shallow flattery between dissolute figures; "A Concentrated Linguist" jokes that a wife's multilingual skill amounts to speaking one language; and "An Optimist" presents a deaf prisoner assured he'll gain hearing at trial—a pun on legal proceedings. The comic strip "It's a Shame to Take the Money!" depicts a burglar attempting to crack a safe using yeast, raisins, water, and a cork—absurd ingredients suggesting he's unprepared or foolish. The satire targets political hypocrisy, social pretense, and general folly characteristic of early 1920s Life magazine humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
September 1 Headlines We Have Yet to See BRITISif KING TOASTED AT SINN FEIN SMOKER i$ CHEER AS TROTZKY RECEIVES * NOBEL AWARD THRO ELLER PLEDGES FORTUNE IN NEW WAR ON PROHIBITION ROCK y SEES MENACE . IN HYLAN REGIME HEAL \ULLIONS GO TO RELIEVE SUFFERING JEWS RS ARE JUBILANT AS BOTTOM DROPS OUT OF MARKET \GAIN FAILS TO SMASH HOME RUN RECORD ES AT MOVIE SHOW SAYS GERMANY CAN WAIT LICAN JOB HUNTER DECLINES TO SEE HARDING FOR STILLMAN INSIST FEE IS TOO BIG COL SSEL JAV\NESE NAVY TO QUIT THE PACIFIC “I WILL NEVER MAKE ANOTHER SPEECH”—DECLARES COL. HARVEY POS! \L EMPLOYEES TO RECEIVE LIVING WAGE Veneer ‘le superannuated roue and the tin- seled lady gazed at each other. “How exquisite you are!” the lady cried. “Bur you are divine,” replied her com- panion, Bot) of them laughed to themselves. “You need have no fear of bears, Sam. They are extinct in this part of the country.” “Yes, Boss. But some day I might run onto one sudden-like, dat didn’t know he was extine’. A Concentrated Linguist “You say your wife is a great linguist? How many languages does she speak?” “Oh, it’s all in one language.” An Optimist “Jupee,” said the prisoner, “I’m deaf “That may be,” said the judge, “b . you Il get your hearing in the morning. It’s a Shame to Take the Money! “This is the toughest safe I ever tackled. but I'll fix it. One cake of yeast, a couple of raisins, one quart of water an’ a cork—I'll try anything once.” comicbooks.com