Life, 1922-08-31 · page 23 of 36
Life — August 31, 1922 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon:** A boy named Bobbie, absorbed in radio programming, dismisses his mother's invitation to meet his newborn sister with "What's the hurry? I suppose I'll see a lot of her all my life." The satire mocks how radio—a relatively new mass medium in the early 20th century—captivated children's attention, making them indifferent to real-life events. **Secondary Content:** The page includes humorous commentary on New York immigration policy (via Montague Glass's character Fishbein), criticizing laws that prevented European immigrants from reuniting with family members. There's also a poem, "The Chameleon," about adaptability, and a brief joke about museum exhibits. **Historical Context:** This reflects 1920s-30s concerns about radio's influence on youth and contemporary debates over U.S. immigration restrictions, particularly affecting Eastern European Jewish immigrants to New York.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Nurse: Bobbie, don’t you want to come in and see your new little sister? Bobbie (engrossed in radio): What's the hurry? WELCOME TO NEW YORK The Gateway to Westchester County New York City Contains 9,622,- 840 Delicatessen Stores (esti- mated) and over 38,658,031 Miles of Electric Street Rail- road. ed by the Boost Manhattan nittee of the Allied Chambers of Commerce. which I only suggest these things as arter for a movement to make New York live up to the customs of the rest of the country, Blintz,” Fish- bein declared. “Because, Blintz, while the rest of the country has been celebrating National Fathers’ Days. Mothers’ Days and other Days with a Capital D, y’understand, it kind of takes the heart out of celebrating Fathers’ Day and Mothers’ Day for several hundred thousand New Yorkers, when after they have been saving their money for years to bring their fathers and mothers from Europe, y’understand, the rest of the United States slaps a law on the statute books making a family reunion in such cases a mis- demeanor instead of a_ holiday. “Furthermore, Blintz,” Fishbein continued, “it’s difficult for them New Yorkers to understand why the rest of the United States is celebrat- ing the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers three hundred years ago, the reason being because them good people showed such a_ wonderful spirit in getting away from perse- cution and hardship in the old coun- try, y’understand, when if they was to land here to-day yet, they would be sent back on the return trip of the Mayflower and its owner fined a couple of hundred dollars for each and every Pilgrim Father deported.” : Montague Glass. I suppose I'll see a lot of her all my life. The Chameleon AX many selves have I As the rooms I may be in. Where flowered cretonnes fly My soul plays harlequin, “While russet, book-lined walls Turn me philosopher, And spacious, shining halls Create me courtier. And so ‘tis scarcely strange, Since tapestry or light Can thus my spirit change From sage to Sybarite, That even when I go Through rooms bare, white and wee I’m at a loss to know Who my real self may be! Ri Laid Inflated Value Jack (in museum): This collec- tion of stuffed animals is said to be worth thousands of dollars. Fro: Is it possible? What are they stuffed with? comicbooks.com