Life, 1923-10-18 · page 8 of 44
Life — October 18, 1923 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The cartoon at top satirizes a schoolteacher's attempt to modernize vocabulary instruction. The caption reads: "Teacher: JOHNNY, NAME A COLLECTIVE NOUN. 'A VACUUM CLEANER.'" This is a joke about linguistic innovation and domestic technology. The humor hinges on the child's literal interpretation—a vacuum cleaner is indeed a "collective" device that gathers/collects dirt. However, in grammar, "collective nouns" refer to words denoting groups of people or animals (like "flock" or "jury"), not machines. The satire appears directed at how new household technology was entering everyday language and domestic practice in this era, while also poking fun at either the child's cleverness or the absurdity of modern educational scenarios. The accompanying text is "Mrs. Pep's Diary," a domestic humor column with social commentary about housewives' lives.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Teacher: JOHNNY, NAME A COLLECTIVE NOUN. “A VACUUM CLEANER.” Tee Odiober Lay late, a-planning of my winter apparel, a Ith business I can no longer put off. Distraught over it, too, for how a woman of my tem- perament is to manage in the evening, with all the trains and trimming at the side or front, is beyond me. I shall be lucky to get through the season with no broken bones.... Kate Mitchell to luncheon, ful! of talk about divorcing Jack, for the poor wretch, after clinging to the waggon for three weeks, did stop at some arti: studio where the Russian glasses had convex bottoms and could not be set down, and it was his undoing. Nor could I second again her oft-expressed hope that she can cure him of so strong a habit, forasmuch as Sam still takes all the parsley garnish along with his portion of meat after ten years’ intermittent remonstrance. So I could do naught but advise her to consult Dr. Lambert in advance of a barrister. ...Reading after dinner in Stendhal’s “Chartreuse de Parme,” one of the finest novels that ever I read in my life, and astounded upon closing it at the thought that but for the merest accident I might have gone to my grave without knowing about it. Marge Boothby early on the telephone, de- 12th manding if I would have her up before alien- ists if she closed her new place and went to an hotel. But she has had three servants since changing her mode of life a month ago, and last night, one vouched for bravely by the agency not only did remove the c!ams from their shells and cut a grape fruit the wrong way, but quoth, Go on and take some more! to Ned Barnes October Peps Diary when he hesitated over the mushrooms. So I quieted her down and went forth to interview my Virgie’s sister in Marge’s behalf, and the girl kept repeating that she could do no fancy cooking until I did ask her what she meant by that term, fearing a diet of gruel and broth for Marge, whereupon she replied, I can’t cook anything with rosettes on it. So, after a few more questions, I did engage her to report on Monday, and went home feeling like a girl scout, with my day’s deed of kindness well behind me. This morning I did make a heavier breakfast October . : i 13th than is my wont, having determined to forego luncheon until I have lost ten pounds, and so, after casting up my accounts and finding myself solvent, thank God, fell a-reading to distract my thoughts from food, nor did I look up from “Old Court Life in France” until startled by the telephone, and it was Dick Hume asking to speak with his wife Ethel, whom I have not seen for a fortnight, but I bethought me quickly and told him she had just left. And I do think that women who plan to play their husbands in the fog might do a bit of advance work with innocent persons whom they choose to implicate....Oliver Perry to dine with us, and upon his departure he did scan his features searchingly in one of our mirrors and then quiz me as to its quality, and when I demanded the reason for such interest, he quoth, Lots of people have spent thousands of dollars on doctors simply because they had poor looking-glasses. Baird Leonard. comicbooks.com