Life, 1922-03-09 · page 30 of 34
Life — March 9, 1922 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains short humor pieces typical of early 20th-century *Life* magazine—a satirical publication featuring jokes, witticisms, and brief comic anecdotes rather than political cartoons. The central cartoon titled "The Old Formula" shows two fishing rods in conversation, with one exaggerating a Christmas cigar's size—satirizing fishermen's tendency to embellish their catches. The text pieces mock various social absurdities: a man finding a lucky penny who then suffers immediate misfortunes (ironic reversal); an intentionally vague job advertisement; a husband's relief at his wife's dinner parties forcing him out; a woman juror relying on intuition rather than evidence; and a woman admitting she flirts with men's reflections in restaurant mirrors to avoid genuine engagement. The "Revived" piece contains a dialect-heavy anecdote about an enslaved man fishing—reflecting the era's problematic racial humor common to period publications. These pieces humorously critique human nature: superstition, poor communication, gender dynamics, judicial reasoning, and infidelity—reflecting *Life*'s satirical focus on everyday social hypocrisy and foolishness.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
28 “Aha!” exclaimed a man on Market street, “see a pin and pick it up, and all the day you'll have good luck,” and as he bent over to pick it up, his hat fell into the mud, his glasses dropped from his nose and smashed on the sidewalk, he burst three suspender buttons and tore the button- hole out of the neckband of his shirt. —San Francisco Chronicle. AUT Scissors AvT NULLUS Have an Idea Adv.—‘Wanted, an experienced designer to design latest designs for carpets for carpet factory.” A trifle vague but we think we understand what's wanted. —Boston Transcript. It’s an Ill Wind “How do you like living in a flat?” “First rate, old boy. Every time my wife has company I have to go out to make room.”—Bulletin (Sydney). Every woman juror tries conscientiously to decide the case according to the law and the evidence, and her intuition. —Detroit Free Press. THE OLD FORMULA Complete Angler (to brother rod): Yes, Charles; at Christmas ’e give me a cigar about as long as that, an’ I reckon it weighed a quarter of a pound if it weighed an ounce. —Reproduced from Punch (London), by arrangement with the proprietors. Illusion They were dining tete-a-tete in the new hotel’s restaurant—he striving to keep alive conversation grown strangely one. sided; she answering at random mono- syllabically, when courtesy compelled re- sponse. “I do so like this room,” she suddenly declared enthusiastically, aglow with heightened color. “It’s ever so much nicer than the big dining room.” “It is bright and cozy,” he gallantly agreed. “Everything’s new and fresh, That’s what you like about it?” “Y-e-s,” she hesitantly conceded, a flush flooding neck and throat. “But I like all those mirrors best, . . . You can flirt with such a lot of men in them and before they can really locate you, why—you're gone!” —Toronto Telegram, Revived The story of the old darkey who was out for catfish in a Mississippi yaw!. He landed a big one that pulled him over- board. As he crawled out spitting mud, he yelled: “What I wants t’ know is, is fishin’ or is dis catfish niggerir —Richmond Times-Dispatch. nigger “Do you read the papers in the car, mornings?” No, I've got to have something t at the office."—Kasper (Stockholm) street- » do _ Lire is published every Thursday, simultaneously in the United States, Great Bri Canada and British Possessions. Title registered in Patent. Office. $5.00 a year in advance. Additional postage to foreign countries in the Postal Union, $1.60 a year; to Canada, 80 cents. Back numbers cannot be supplied. The text and illustrations in Lire are copyrighted, For Reprint Rights in Great Britain apply to Lire, Rolls House, Breams Buildings, Fetter Lane, London, E. C., England. The foreigs trade supplied from Lire’s London Office, Rolls F streams Buildings, London, E. Canadian distributor, J. R. T 386-388 St. James Street, Montreal, Canada. No contributions will be returned unless accompanied by stamped and addressed envelope. Lire does not hold itself responsible for the loss or non-return of unsolicited contributions. Notice of change of address should reach this office two wee to the date of issue to be affected. prior Dependability 'HE Hollenden connotes Cleveland and denotes a hotel of the utmost distinction, with every resource for the physical comfort and the mental satisfaction of its guests THE HOLLENDEN HOTEL CO. CLEVELAND In Cleveland It’s THE HOLLENDEN During a Rigid Observance of Lent ye should be read regularly as a relief from the strain. Send in a six months’ subscription, or, Obey That Impulse, and for a trial trip, avail yourself of our Special Offer Enclosed find One Dollar (Canadian $1.20, Foreign $1.40) Send Lire for the next ten weeks to Open only to new subscribers; no subscriptions renewed at this rate. LIFE, 598 Madison Avenue, New York One Year $5 Foreign $6.60 70 Canadian $5.80 comicbooks.com