Life, 1923-06-21 · page 6 of 36
Life — June 21, 1923 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on early 20th-century social attitudes about education and marriage. **"The Chance of a Lifetime"** mocks a father's surprise that his daughter married a man on her commencement day—specifically, a college classmate who had never been academically notable. The father initially approved, calculating the match would help the young man manage a farm, rather than valuing the daughter's own educational achievement. **"The Great Open Spaces"** extends this satire: an old-fashioned woman who married a "reformer" now has a daughter preferring to marry another reformer. The joke undercuts romantic idealism about changing men through marriage. The cartoon's final joke about "margins" plays on financial/business terminology, suggesting naive newlyweds don't understand monetary concepts—typical period humor about women's supposed financial ignorance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE Commencement Day Program of a Correspondence School Senior JREIVAL of cap and gown from Sears-Roebuck, by parcel post. Reading of the graduating senior’s address by the post- office sorter. Awarding of the diploma by the letter carrier. Baccalaureate sermon by Dr, Frank Crane, delivered as second-class matter. Conferring of the honorary degree of Ph. D. (Doctor of Philately). Silent toast to missing lessons in the dead-letter office. Adoption of “Stick to it” as class motto. Whistling number by Postmen’s Quartet. Awarding of the P. B. K. (Postoffice Box Key) Three cheers and a tiger for Postmaster-General New. Singing of the alma mailer song. Senior spread, consisting of letters salad. Neal O'Hara, The Chance of a Lifetime ‘T WAS surprised to hear your on ker commencement day.” “Yes, Our friends were all surprised. But when my wife and I discovered that Alice’s young man was the only tnember of his college class who had never written any free verse, revolutionary novels or one-act plays, had never been a campus notable, and was looking forward to graduaticn so he could help manage his father’s farm— well, we thought she had better grab him.” daughter was married THE GREAT OPEN SPACES HE old-fashioned girl who married a man to reform him now has a daughter who would rather marry a reformer to make a man out of him, GEE: Wonderful view from the mountain top. He: Yes, if there was only something to see. “WHAT IS A MARGIN?” “1 DON’T KNOW, BUT YOU LOSE YOUR MONEY.” comicbooks.com