Life, 1922-12-07 · page 64 of 80
Life — December 7, 1922 — page 64: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct sections: **Left side:** A flower shop advertisement disguised as sentimental verse about sending flowers for birthdays and remembrance—a straightforward commercial appeal with no satirical content. **Center: "Rhymed Reviews—Babbitt"** critiques Sinclair Lewis's 1922 novel *Babbitt*. The reviewer (A.G.) summarizes the plot in verse: George F. Babbitt, a real-estate businessman in the fictional town of Zenith, appears confident but is actually conformist and timid. Though he yearns to rebel against social pressure from his wife, friends, and neighbors, he ultimately submits to middle-class convention. The review notes Lewis writes "satires mixed with propaganda" rather than pure novels—a common critique of Lewis's social commentary fiction. The satire targets not Lewis but American conformity itself: the "poor men" trapped by social control everywhere, unable to act authentically. **Right side:** Travel and cruise line advertisements (Bermuda, West Indies, Europe). This is primarily an advertising-heavy page with one literary review.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
romember her birthday Radiant chrysanthemums, modest violets, glowing roses, splendid orchids, ex- quisite gardenias await you among the glorious profu- sion of flowers which your local florist has prepared to carry your holiday and birthday greetings. Send flowers—a graceful token of love and esteem for all your greetings—they will say for -_ much Cas more than words oe ou local 3 within a lon hours, can deliver fresh flowers in any city or town in the United States and Can- ada through the Florists’ « DFE Rhymed Reviews Babbitt By Sinclair Lewis. Harcourt, Brace & Co. HAT double-fisted, big he-man, The real-estater, George F. Babbitt, When put to proof was tamer than A cabbage-eating, pink-eyed rab- bit. And like to him were all his crowd, The town of Zenith’s loyal boosters Who swaggered so, who talked so ° loud And called each other darned old roosters. For not a man of them would dare To think or say or put on paper A thought, however right and fair, That wasn’t just the proper caper. In Babbitt woke a vague unrest: The net reward of all his labors Was leave to do his clan’s behest And live exactly like the neigh- bors. For someone always made him mind— His gentle wife (or other ladies), His friends, his foes; and how he pined To tell them all to go to Hades! Fed up at last, he weakly tried To be a reckless, free old hellion, But pressure, skilfully applied, Subdued his middle-age rebellion. So Mr. Lewis loves to write, Enthroned upon his nic? veranda, These books that aren’t novels, quite, But satires mixed with propa- ganda. Poor men, poor men! in every clime, In every nook that folks inhabit, They're bossed and hectored all the time Like Sinclair, me and George F. Babbitt ! A. G. Two Bad Henry Spinner had a splendid thought for Christmas. He would send pairs of ducks he had shot to several of his most intimate friends. It was a good idea, too. Even his wife admitted that. She was enthu- siastic, too, in making them look “Christmassy” by placing on the out- side of the package those cute labels with pictures of Santa Claus, holly, and other jolly things on them. There would have been no real objection to her indulgence in this feminine weakness, either, except for the fact that each label bore the caution, “Do BERMUDA Visit this Winter paradise for portsmen. Wonderful golf (2 new 18-hole courses), tennis, fishing, bathing. ROYAL MAIL “*The Comfort Route’’ Weekly sailings from New York by S. S. ARAGUAYA (17,500 tons displacement), the largest steamer sailing to Bermuda. Send for booklet L-5 West Indies Cruises Jan. 24th and Feb. 24th Two fascinating cruises among these fascinating islands on the S. S. ORCA, (25,500 tons displacement) newest, largest, and most luxurious steamer engaged in West Indies cruises. Visits to Nassau, Ha- vana, Jamaica, Colon (Panama Canal), La Guayra, Trinidad, Barbados, Martinique, _ St. Thomas, San Juan and Ber- muda. Rates, $250 and up. Send for booklet L6 EUROPE Fortnightly sailings to Cherbourg, Southampton and Hamburg by famous “‘O” steamers. The Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. 26. Broadway. New York 607 Boylston 117_W. Washin, Seattle Sin Francis comicbooks.com