Life, 1923-04-12 · page 5 of 40
Life — April 12, 1923 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the experience of dieting through both poem and cartoon. The poem, attributed to Baird Leonard, humorously contrasts the philosophical aspirations a dieter should pursue (mental improvement, spiritual elevation) with the actual preoccupation: food. References to "Walt Whitman's policy" and "Pater's creed" invoke serious intellectual traditions that the dieter supposedly wants to embrace, but instead finds themselves obsessing over steaks and meals. The cartoon shows two women with a child, with the caption's joke about teaching a child "to keep quiet now"—likely implying that women on restrictive diets become irritable or withdrawn due to hunger. The satire targets the social pressure on women to diet while acknowledging the psychological toll this takes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Lines by a Lady on a Diet EMEMBERING Walt Whitman’s policy, I sit here ready to invite my soul— To ponder life, and if the grave can be Its goal. A mental panorama should arise Of visions that befit a lofty mood, But Fancy, like a homing pigeon, flies To food. Why must those light and lovely clouds of fleece Which follow swift in one another’s wake Turn each into a French-fried-onioned piece Of steak? me \4 Larry \ ”, SS ~~ Ss < Ss = = I close my eyes, and try my best to think Of Pater’s creed, and all that it embraced; Instead, I cerebrate how good a drink Would taste. With Beauty, Truth and Goodness I am done— Romance itself is minus an appeal When all I want upon this earth is one Square meal. So, though I strive to give my spirit wings, The very effort is its own defeat; I simply cannot keep my mind off things To eat. Baird Leonard. SS Ss SS i Ay SSS Ss “And has he learned to talk yet?” “My, yes! We're teaching him to keep quiet now.” comicbooks.com