Life, 1923-10-04 · page 3 of 44
Life — October 4, 1923 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines satirical poetry with advertising. The left side features "Ballade of Reductio ad Absurdum," a humorous poem mocking diet culture and weight-loss obsession. The speaker ironically catalogs luxurious foods while claiming constant dieting efforts—highlighting the contradiction between desire and discipline. A small cartoon at the bottom shows two figures discussing hotel accommodations, with a joke about bed-sharing. The right side is a full-page advertisement for Arrow Collars (20 cents each), featuring a portrait photograph of a well-dressed man. The ad emphasizes the collar's "cutaway" design that appears lower in front than back, accommodating "larger four-in-hand knots." This juxtaposes weight-loss satire with fashion advertising—both addressing masculine self-presentation and consumer culture anxieties.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ballade of Reductio ad Absurdum uscious, juicy sirloin steak, Vith fragrant onions crisply fried, Perhaps a slice of layer cake, Some cream and berries on the side. llow oft for these, how oft I’ve cried, roasted duck and well-stuffed goose! las, these joys must be denied. I'm always trying to reduce. xercise when I awake, tennis, golf, and swim, and ride. » Turkish baths I sweat and bake, sut still I’m corpulent and wide. \ll thinning diets I have tried, th calories played fast and loose. know it’s naught but foolish pride. always trying to reduce. Vanity, what fools you make )f men! What effort misapplied! \\ hat pangs we suffer for your sake, Vhat secret wretchedness we hide. live on fare I can’t abide, lettuce, prunes and lemon juice. I've starved until I nearly died. 1 always trying to reduce. Envoi me, Savarin, a roast provide! Some quail on toast, and—what’s the use? Just bring some prunes and let that slide. I'm always trying to reduce. N. L. Two Beds Are Better I want a room with twin beds,” insisted the mid-winter traveler. “Certainly,” replied the clerk, “but what an odd request from a man traveling alone!” Perhaps,” returned the traveler, it when I spent a night here last iter I had only half enough covers “OOK AT THAT NASTY LITTLE BEAST D WHAT A BEAUTIFUL FUR IT HAS.” “POOH, IT’S ONLY IMITATION.” —Le Rire (Paris). the Newest of | the ARROW COLLARS It is of.medium height, with a band that tapers toward the front, thus creating a cutaway collar that has the appearance of being lower in front than in the back. The space admits of the proper adjustment of the larger four-in-hand knots perfectly. CLUETT, PEABODY €7 CO..INC., Makers, TROY, N.Y. comicbooks.com