Life, 1923-02-01 · page 25 of 40
Life — February 1, 1923 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces typical of Life's humor: **"A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Horoscope for 1923"** is a list of absurdist predictions mocking contemporary American life. Each month lists an impossible or ironic scenario—news-stands collapsing from Saturday Evening Post's weight, Broadway audiences staying through entire acts, finding an honest department store floorwalker. The satire targets consumerism, media excess, and social pretense of the 1920s. **"The Education of a Club Woman's Husband"** satirizes domestic hierarchy and social anxiety. A husband mispronounces a Russian author's name at dinner, embarrassing himself before his wife. He recovers by buying expensive Colonial candlesticks, suggesting men use material gifts to appease wives' cultural ambitions. The piece mocks both wives' social pretensions and husbands' strategic gift-giving as marital damage control. The accompanying cartoon shows children—one having taught the other to smoke—representing generational misbehavior and failed parental authority, a common 1920s worry.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Horoscope for 1923 Fes.—136 news-stands collapse from increased weight ot Saturday Evening Post. Mar.—Broadway crowds refuse to stop to view man engaged in sign-painting occupation. Apr.—Life insurance companies combine in rejecting all applicants engaged in cornet playing. May—Entire New York vaudeville audience remains seated until very end of last act. E—Floorwalker that does not resemble a minister liscovered in Newark department store. Juty—Automat installs ham sandwiches in New York The Education of a Club Woman’s Husband OW do you pronounce ‘Turgenieff’? Well, I thought so too. That’s the reason I asked you. Of course, I broke my promise to my wife never to use the name of a foreign author, musician or artist with- out going over it a few times with her. But I had been anxious to please her ever since I sat in that Chippendale chair that was propped up; and so I worked lurgenieff’s name into the conversation all by myself, it a dinner party last night. We had been going through the list of Russian names, my wife and I, but we hadn't got as far as the T’s, so I thought I would surprise her. But I didn’t; I fumbled it. “My wife rushed me home as soon as she could make our excuses to the hostess and when we got into the house I thought I was a goner. But luck was on my side. There stood a parcel on the hall table and in it was a pair of Colonial candlesticks my wife had admired in a shop downtown and which I had bought unknown to her. They cost sixty-five dollars and I thought at the time they were expensive but considering what they saved me last night they were worth the money.” McC. H. A MAN who knows how to capitalize his good deeds is bound to be successful, but not so successful as the man who knows how to profit by his mistakes. subway turnstiles. Demand for slugs exceeds supply. AvuGc.—Monday morning newspapers fail to record a single Sunday auto accident. Sept.—Bobbed hair styles declared passé. sales increase 100 per cent. Ocr.—Jersey grocer discovered who knows difference between a carton and a cartoon. Nov.—Ohio diner actually orders liver without bacon or onions. Dec.—Entire month passes without person leaping in front of subway train. . Hair tonic “I caught me big sister smokin’.” “Did ya bawl her out?” “T'll say I did.” comicbooks.com