Life, 1923-11-15 · page 12 of 40
Life — November 15, 1923 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top illustration depicts **medieval alchemists arguing**, with the caption explaining they represent "the wisest men of our time" who cannot agree on fundamental questions—a satirical commentary on expert disagreement and the limits of knowledge. Below this is "**The Handy Handbook of Secret Football Plays**," describing absurdist trick plays with deliberately ridiculous names like "Pass-in-the-Corner" and "The Pavlova." The satire targets the era's obsession with elaborate football strategy and coaching complexity. The bottom section lists "**Our Own All-American Team**" with humorous player nicknames derived from college names (Lafayette = "Pride of Navy," Penn = "Suit of Armour"), mocking both college football's prestige and the tendency to create grand-sounding team identities. The overall theme satirizes institutional pomposity and overcomplicated systems.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
sella antn, Knight of Middle Ages (listening to argument between two alchemists): ’TIS PASSING STRANGE. MEN OF OUR TIME, YET THE CANNOT AGREE AS TO WHAT CAUSES THE FLAME THAT SHOOTETH FROM THOSE BE THE WISEST A DRAG The Handy Handbook of Secret Football Plays RICK Play No. 82-X-666—Gallagher and Shean back. “Puss-in-the-Corner,” or “The Reversed Goal-Posts.” As the ball is passed, the entire team, minus the tackles, walk slowly backwards towards their own goal-posts. Meanwhile the tackles, playing outside the ends, have broken through and are down by the enemy goal. This is up- rooted as speedily as possible and carried up the field, where it is promptly exchanged for the home goal and the ball is carried across. Touchdown. xe + Trick Play No. 38-22-38-22—K. P.’s Front-and-Center “The Pavlowa,” or “The Ziegfeld Shift.” The ball is passed to the fullback, who has been equipped with a pair of collapsible pants—such as are commonly affected by the more refined acrobats. The fullback pulls the string and collapses the pants, appearing in a ballet skirt which he has been wearing underneath all the time. He then takes the ball lightly in his fingers and, humming a Chopin minute waltz, does a graceful bubble dance down the field. Touchdown. eet Trick Play No. 54-40-or-bust. “Prexy's Pet.” trick is good only on the home grounds.) The players mass together as if one of the team were having his jersey changed. The ball, however, is being made by means of colored chalks and crépe hair into a passable likeness of the president of the home university or college. The quarterback next removes a crush hat (This from his jersey, springs it into form and pulls the neck of his jersey up over his head, turtle-wise. The hat is then placed on the head of the soi-disant president, the other end of the inflated pigskin is thrust into the neck of the jersey and the band strikes up “Fair Harvard,” or “Boola- Boola,” or whatever the college song is. The alumni rise to their feet in the grandstand and remove headgear. The team then proceeds to escort the ball down the field. The opposing team will imagine this is some sort of traditional ceremony and will respectfully fall in behind. The ball is so carried across the line. Touchdown. Potential score: 21-0. Henry William Hanemann. Our Own All-American Team First Team UST of Lafayette. Tube of Colgat Sidewox of New York. Shades of Washington & Jefferson... Stroke of Penn... Climate of California Gang of Tufts Hunchbach of Notre Dame.. Second Team ..Pride of Navy. Banks of Wabash. - Cessation of Paine. Gospel of St. John «Cliffs (white) of Albion Battle of Princeton «Star of Hope. Substitutes: Smear, Case; Beautiful, Ohio; Hail, Colum- bia; Chicago, Illinois. comicbooks.com