Life, 1922-03-23 · page 34 of 34
Life — March 23, 1922 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines social satire with period advertising. The main cartoon presents a dialogue between a "Very Ordinary Person" (V.O.P.) and an aristocrat debating class differences. The aristocrat argues superiority derives from breeding and quality ("takes more time and money" to produce), while the V.O.P. observes that aristocrats actually behave *worse*—lying, withholding kindness, and refusing to yield seats to women. The joke's punchline reveals the aristocrat's hypocrisy: when the woman belonged to his own class, his discourtesy proved his ordinariness, not his refinement. The page also includes period advertisements (Forhan's dental product, The Biltmore restaurant) and lighter satirical pieces ("Why Are Patronesses?," "An Even Thing") mocking social pretensions and gender roles typical of 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.
| The dread Pyorrhea | | Degins with bleeding gums | )YORRHEA'S infecting germs cause many ills, Medical science has proved this, Many diseased conditions are now known oftento be theresultof Pyorrhea germs that breed in pockets about the teeth, Rheumatism, anaemia, nervous disorders and other diseases have been traced in many cases to thi rhea infection. Don’t let Pyorrhea work its wicked will on your body. Visit your dentist Frequently for te gum inv ion. id watch your game jourself, hea, which afflicts four out offive peopleover forty, begins with tender and bleeding gums: the gums recede, the teeth decay, loosen and fall ‘out, or must be extracted to rid the system of the poisons generated at their base. Forhan’s For the Gums will prevent Pyorrhea—or check its progress—if used in time and Used consistently. Ordinary deny tifrices cannot do this. Forhan’s keepsthe gumshardandhealthy —the teeth white and clean, Start using it today. If shrinkage has set in use han's according to directions ‘and consult a dentist imme diately for specialtreatment. 35¢ and 60c tubes in U.S. and Canada. Formula of na. Forman Be Dog, FORHAN CO. ‘New York ‘ore FOR THE GUMS Why Are Patronesses? A PATRONEsS is usually a good- natured woman who has passed the prime of life, and who lends her name to all doubtful enterprises in any home town, including Bach festivals, the annual banquet of the Sex Hygiene Society, the series of subscription dances under the auspices of the Meth- odist Vampire League and the recep- tion given to Margot Asquith. Every woman aspires to be a pa- troness. When she finally gets to be one, she passes the rest of her life in living it down. An Even Thing Howett: There is one automobile to | every fourteen people. PoweL_: Well, at the rate autos are killing off the people it will soon be a fifty-fifty proposition. “T arGuED with the cop, and—” “No, you didn’t. It isn’t done. mean you argued at the cop.” You | dent. * LIFE .- Could Anything Be Simpler? | Need ordinary person met an aristocrat. “What is the matter with me?” said the V. O. P. “Nothing,” said the aristocrat. “You are quite right as you are. If you did not exist in such great numbers, I should cease to exist. I live only by the power of contrast.” “Um,” said the V. O. P. “If you weren't here, nobody would be aware of me. Yet your number is very small compared with mine.” “The difference,” said the aristocrat, “lies in the quality. It is much more trouble to produce me than you. It takes more time and money.” “Could I become like you?” “Certainly. The recipe is about | three generations, according to the con- ditions.” “But I have known aristocrats like | you to be very poor.” “Precisely. And others to be deca- Every aristocrat is likely to run himself out in time. But there is al- ways a process of manufacture back of him.” “Can you explain the difference be- tween us?” “Certainly. manners.” “But I have been observing you rather closely. I find that you may lie where I would naturally tell the truth, that you may withhold where I would give; and I noticed that I gave up my seat to a woman while you continued to remain seated.” actl replied the aristocrat. “What you did was ordinary; the woman belonged to your class; but if she had belonged to mine you wouldn’t have got up.” “But you would,” triumphantly re- torted the V. O. P. “Which conclusively proves, my good fellow, that you are a very ordinary person and I am an aristocrat.” It lies altogether in our MADISON AVE., 43rd TO 44th STREETS NEW YORK Dancing in the Supper Room Tea in the Palm Room Friday Morning Musicales ‘TWE CAREY PRINTING CO. Inc, New York | We could not break it even if we tried RCI 30, Then It’s Genuine Unless you see the name “Bayer” on tablets, you are not getting gen- uine Aspirin prescribed by physi § | cians for 21 years and proved safe } by millions. Always say “Bayer.” § | is the trade mark of Bayer ter of Sa Rubaiyat of the Chain Restaurant Wake—and the order for your wheat cakes fling; This imitation maple’s just the thing, The price is double what it was be fore, But you should worry at another sting. We sometimes wish that debonair, To win the fancy of the waitress fai She might neglect the high spots in our check, But we are frozen by her chilly stare. we were Our order reaches us—potatoes fried, And eggs incinerated on one side; We're not afraid to trifle with our cup, We envy insects with the triple eyes, The what-you-call-them or the pretty flies ; Then could we watch our precious coat and hat, And clothes thieves would not take us by surprise. The crash of china echoes in our ears. Like chords mislaid or lost, but come our fears That we perchance may lose this splendid din; How could we face the desolated years! Thomas J. Murray. comicbooks.com