Life, 1923-09-20 · page 22 of 36
Life — September 20, 1923 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces from Life magazine's humor section: **"Merely Men"** is a short poem listing different archetypal male figures (the street man, higher-up, man of the hour, etc.), playing on common social types of the era. **The top cartoon** mocks over-parenting: a father beginning a 2,000-mile road trip insists his wife return home to swap their daughter's large doll for a smaller one—a five-passenger car joke about how much luggage children's belongings require. **"Life's Inquiring Reporter"** interviews zoo visitors about literature's greatest passages. The responses satirize both public taste and pretension: people cite sentimental melodramas ("think of the kiddies"), famous schoolroom poems like "Casabianca," half-remembered historical speeches, and Shakespeare. One respondent admits forgetting what he's quoting. **The bottom cartoon** shows a visitor commenting that Washington's headquarters seems inconveniently far from the trolley—mocking modern tourists' inability to appreciate historical sites without modern conveniences nearby. Overall, the page humorously critiques American materialism, poor cultural literacy, and dependency on modern comfort.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE’S Inquiring Reporter Question for the Week What, in your opinion, is the great- est passage in all literature? Where Asked The Zoo, Central Park The Answers 1. L. V. Spillblatz, lawyer—I think the greatest passage is that one where somebody says: “Don’t do it for my sake, Ned, but think of the kiddies.” 2. Winnie McTrough, knit goois— To me the fourteenth stanza of Boy Stood on the Burning Deck” great a bit as there is. 3. Henry P. Sawduster, bond s man—I forget how it goes now anyway, it was what the Govern: North Carolina said to the Gov of South Carolina: Father (at the start of a 2,000-mile tour): MAKE HER GO BACK AND GET A SMALLER DOLL, THIS IS ONLY A FIVE-PASSENGER CAR. 4. Mrs. Carrie C. Spalm, home Merely Men economist—I always liked Han HE man in the street. The man of the world. speech at the burial of Julius Cas: The man higher up. The man of the hour. though a lot of folks don’t. The man in the moon. The man about town. 5. Oscar Pflofmetz, plumber—\: , The man behind the gun Jones—the man. spik Englis. Visitor: SO THAT WAS WASHINGTON’S HEADQUARTERS? HE MUST HAVE FOUND IT RATHER INCONVENIENT BEING SO FAR FROM THE TROLLEY. comicbooks.com