Life, 1923-01-04 · page 17 of 44
Life — January 4, 1923 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**The Main Content:** This page celebrates Life magazine's 40th anniversary with a poem praising the publication's cultural impact—its diverse cast of characters, from society figures to animals to common people. **The Political Commentary (Will Rogers column):** Rogers satirizes post-WWI economic chaos: the Allied Debt Conference's failure, Germany's hyperinflation (the "Marks" joke), and French politician Clemenceau's blunt honesty. He compares Clemenceau to Senator Borah, apparently meaning both are unusual for actually saying what they think. Rogers also quips about American Prohibition enforcement consuming national energy, and mocks the ex-Kaiser for finally achieving "a successful engagement" (likely referencing his marriage). **The Bottom Cartoon:** A darkly cynical joke: a Turkish Pasha orders a massacre of Christians tomorrow, but a Chief Officer postpones it because "the American official observer cannot arrive until the day following"—satirizing how American observation might legitimize or delay atrocities, and bureaucratic absurdity generally. The overall tone is sophisticated political humor typical of 1920s Life magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
To Old Doctor LIFE THEREAL wavelets, wires and ticker-tapes E Convey the pregnant news that Lire is forty! Then, at the word, ten thousand picture-shapes From Lire’s own pages make a joyous sortie; With dignity, with merriment and japes, Sententious, witty, tender, shrewd, or sporty, They march, these art-begotten simulacra, In triumph up Lire’s private Via Sacra. What multitudes of every known degree \mid that throng the dazzled eye discovers! What beasts that never were on land or sea, \Vhat hosts of pretty girls from painted covers, What packs of all the breeds of dog there be, \Vhat troops of rich men, poor men, lawyers, lovers, And children—bless their hearts, the little stupids! And what a very avalanche of cupids! “Hail, Doctor Lire!” begins in stately tone the well-drawn Senator who acts as proctor; “Hail Doctor Lire! Though not to you is known the lore possessed by every pill-concocter, Sagacity has marked you for her own nd you are forty—hence you must be ‘Doctor,’ e every one, by popular admission, At forty is a fool or a physician. “So we your creatures, we your true allies, Your mammals, reptiies, feathered bipeds, fishes And human folk portrayed in every guise, esent our fondest birthday hopes and wishes: x may you flourish! while—(though peevish-wise, hance some priggish dullard poohs and pishes)— A grateful Nation owns itself your debtor And adds that every week you're getting better!” A.G. All I Know Is What I Read in the Papers EE where the Allied Debt Conference in London broke up. Getting harder every day to pay debts unless one of the Parties has some money. *** Ii they could just think of something to use for money. +e ® Germany did, they thought of Marks. **e* Well, Clemenceau has gone back after telling us what he thought of us. Only bad feature is that it might en- courage Lloyd George to come over and give us Eng- land’s version of us. **_** Clemenceau is certainly a novelty among Politicians. He says what he thinks and NOT what he thinks he ought to say. *** He is the Senator Borah of France. *** BH ype war don’t come, it would strike us at a bad time now. All our men are busy fighting Prohibition either on one side or the other. ee * _ It must astonish the ex-Kaiser to realize that he has finally had a successful engagement. Will Rogers. MUTANT uu din MM HHH f | The Perennial Plaint “LIFE isn’t what it used to be.” Unavoidably Postponed Turkish PasHa: A massacre of Christians is set for to-morrow. See to it. Cuter Orricer (pale with consiernation) : Impossible! The American official observer cannot arrive until the day following. comicbooks.com