Life, 1922-01-26 · page 5 of 34
Life — January 26, 1922 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features **Lenore Ulric**, an actress, illustrated in a portrait with 1920s-style bobbed hair and makeup. Below is a poem titled "In 'Kiki'" attributed to George S. Chappell. The poem appears to satirize attitudes toward homeless girls and social charity. The speaker expresses moral concern about homeless waifs, worrying they might "end up in the Bastille" (jail), yet the poem suggests hypocrisy—these concerns may mask judgment rather than genuine compassion. The reference to "Kiki" likely alludes to the 1926 film or contemporary theatrical production, using that cultural reference to comment on how society romanticizes or moralizes about disadvantaged women while failing to provide meaningful support. The satire targets the gap between professed charitable impulses and actual indifference.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Lenore Ulric \ ) JHENEER upon the street I see A charming homeless waif, I long to prove my charity, But tell me, is it safe ? Would she not misconstrue me, quite, And show a heart of steel; And would I not, that very night End up in the Bastille ? In “Kiki” But Kiki lets no custom bind . Her manners or her hands; And though, perhaps, not quite refined, She leaps, and safely lands. And having landed, light as foam, Invites the world to tea ! Which only shows how much at home Some homeless girls can be. George S. Chappell comicbooks.com