Life, 1923-05-03 · page 9 of 40
Life — May 3, 1923 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces about Scottish life and social commentary. **"Bill Anderson" (top):** A poem by Weed Dickinson addresses Bill Anderson about his financial troubles—he's moved from being "solvent" to having "expense accounts" and needing bank loans. The accompanying sketch shows men in a tavern, illustrating the poem's reference to drinking and financial mismanagement. **Bottom cartoon:** A photograph showing a mother confronting a schoolteacher, asking whether she should worry about her son Abie's lack of promotion. The humor derives from the mother's anxiety about academic advancement and the implication that promotion concerns were common parental worries in this era. Both pieces use Scottish dialect and working-class characters to satirize financial irresponsibility and middle-class anxieties about social mobility.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Bill Anderson (Bows to Bobbie Burns) ILL ANDERSON, my bo, Bill, When we were first acquent You were nae sae very solvent, You could nae pay the rent. But now you hae expense accounts, An’ gie the papers dough, You must hae money in the bank Bill Anderson, my bo. Bill Anderson, my bo, Bill, We dried the country braw (Though monie a lassie’s drunk to- lay Used nae to drink at a’) But e’en a saint may make mistakes, And we had better go, We're ower in the picture now, Bill Anderson, my bo. Weed Dickinson. Ir is a big question these days whether we can support Europe in ‘ Lo. . “I hear that Kitty is getting a divorce.” the manner in which she would like «Yes, she married a Captain during the war and now, of course, he’s fright- to become accustomed. fully out of style.” 7 f Mother (to schoolteacher): 1 know you won't tell me is Abie going to be promoted, but tell me, should I worry? comicbooks.com