Life, 1924-02-21 · page 15 of 36
Life — February 21, 1924 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces of satire: **Top cartoon** ("A Boy Who Never Grew Up"): A sketch-style illustration depicting what appears to be a child's chaotic behavior in an indoor setting, likely satirizing arrested development or immaturity. **Main article** ("How to Hold a Baby"): A humorous piece attributed to "Professor Blotter" from Columbia University, mocking the era's emerging "scientific" parenting advice. The text sarcastically catalogs absurd baby-handling techniques (holding by neck, treating like a football, applying talcum powder to prevent crying). This satirizes the pretentiousness of academic experts dispensing impractical parenting guidance. **Bottom cartoon**: Shows figures discussing "Georga da wash" and "Dessa Georga"—appearing to reference a holiday-born child, likely satirizing either immigrant dialects or class-based naming practices common in early 20th-century American humor. The page mocks both childhood development and contemporary parenting culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Wy WoT A BOY WHO NEVER GREW UP How to Hold a Baby (Professor Blotter Mects His Nemesis) S! CH problems as why they put whippe lon, or how to fish the cherries ov fessor Blotter lc f ade, F of Columbia University ind ¢ quered with comparative case; but the venerable admitted yesterday that he was floored at last “Wi am al “Do 3 himsel n it comes to he said Dr. Blotter, “I slutely at sea hold it by the back of the neck?" he muttered to . scratching busily it under the elbows? De football? or like the Di “Do you he he asked. at his blueprints. Do you lift ou tuck it under your arm like a asp it like a bowli Id it somehow Professor looked up wearily r shoulder and jar it up and dow 1 it iv finger of your other? D. vent its skiddin; “Do you he one hand and let it chew a you apply talcum powder to pre- Do you feed it the washel of soap when it starts crying?” The P floor “And how,” th and a piece fessor paced the he said, tur upon me suddenly would you ever lower it again? “how It is hard for a man of Profe Blotter’s age DA WASH nd emi Corey Ford. “HAN! GEORGA DA WASH WA ¢ to swallow defeat DAT MAKA HIM DA GREATA M “VY DEY MAKA SOOCHA FUSS ABOUT DEESA GEORGA comicbooks.com