Life, 1924-04-10 · page 9 of 36
Life — April 10, 1924 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces about American middle-class life in the 1920s. **"Dirge"** (left column) laments the decline of family theater-going. The poem mourns how working-class family life has deteriorated—children no longer sing, sparrows disappear from city streets—using theatrical tradition as a metaphor for vanishing cultural institutions. **"A Tier III Shed"** critiques how theater attendance has become economically stratified. The satire describes families now sitting in cheap upper-balcony seats rather than "Dress Circles," stripped of dignity. The cartoon above (showing adults and children at theater) illustrates this democratization of entertainment. **"A Public Economy"** (top right) mocks radio broadcasts replacing theater as family entertainment—a cheaper alternative that saves money. The overall theme: modern consumer culture and economic pressures are eroding traditional middle-class leisure activities and social status markers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
tree se liety MOTHER, WHEN WE GO To a city street But dust, for little birds to eat With dust upon its wing? And when there dies a sparrow, must Tt still be dust? VW. M. A Tier Ill Shed SMALL wonder that family life is on the wane in America, with the Family Circle taken from — our theatres, er is there accom- modation for seat his little flock a heavenly eve ing Machine € d paterfamilias to bout him to enjoy f “Bertha, the Sew- while lookin with virtuous superiority on the bulg- ing shirt se down ronts and shameless shoulders of wealthy iniquity below. No more can he say to the box-office person as he purchases pasteboards for the wife and the kiddies: “Eleven twenty-five-cent tickets, please. Down near the rail, if possible; we like to be close to the stage.” How deplorable is the come-down from those innoce: ! heights! The family boards are gone. Simple folk y must sit on costly plush up holstery in a Dress Circle HEAVEN WILL THEY STUFF US SO THE ANGELS CA the lim 1924 to Fanny” buys a pair of five tickets and leaves the dog in who goes eatre to see And what further has been lost irreparably other cherished institution, the F. Entrance? with the pa of “WHAT'S DOING AFTER THE SHOW “NOTHING. I'M GOING PICT NOME AND SLIP SOMETHIN TRIXY? A Public Economy R$ 5 3 ae . Lopy a lot of mon comicbooks.com