Life, 1923-05-24 · page 10 of 42
Life — May 24, 1923 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate humor pieces: 1. **"A Wise Father"** (top cartoon): A domestic scene where a husband complains about bills while his wife suggests he needs "a strong incentive" to work harder. The satire targets marital dynamics and financial pressure. 2. **Life Lines** (right column): Brief social commentary on contemporary issues—Nero fiddling while Rome burned (likely referencing current political inaction), Treasury Department tax proposals for child movie stars, camel origins, and William T. Tilden (a famous tennis player) as America's World Court representative. 3. **"The Saxophone Player"** (bottom): A man playing saxophone near a child, with a sign reading "Keep out!" The caption suggests saxophones were considered socially objectionable—likely reflecting 1920s moral concerns about jazz music and its perceived corrupting influence on youth.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Well, Vera, I must say I don’t think it’s fair to your husband to run up so many b ills. “My dear, to do his best work he needs a strong incentive.” A Wise Father “Was your son educated in New Haven?” “No; he went to college in New Haven, but he got his education in New York.” LIFE (10 Bureau of Social Hygiene) Communism is a community where there is nothing to eat and it is divided equally among the citi- zens. One divided by zero is infinity: two divided by one is affinity. The Sexophone Player Life Lines ERO fiddled while Rome burned. “I couldn’t bear to disappoint the radio fans,” he ex- plained. LL At the three-mile limit, the big political issue is the Leak of Na- tions. LL By another year, the Treasury De- partment should issue a special In- come Tax blank for child movie stars with a deduction allowed for each dependent parent. aL The camel, according to the Ameri- can Museum of Natural History, originated on the American conti- nent, which, oddly enough, is also the birthplace of the man who would walk a mile for one. aL The obvious selection for Ameri- ca’s representative at the World Court is William T. Tilden, 2d. aL When opportunity knocks at the door of the modern business man, he generally sends out word that he is “in conference.” Keep out! comicbooks.com