Life, 1924-05-22 · page 9 of 36
Life — May 22, 1924 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous essay with illustrations about horses' characteristics and behaviors. The piece uses deadpan, matter-of-fact descriptions paired with simple line drawings to satirize pseudo-scientific or overly earnest nature writing—a common target of *Life* magazine's satire. The joke relies on absurd juxtapositions: describing horses in exaggerated, anthropomorphic terms ("a distinct barn voice," "untidy horse tee") while presenting genuinely bizarre claims (horses need "a neat peck of soda dakota otes," their tails are used for "whipping") as fact. The format mimics serious naturalist essays from the period, making the satire gentle rather than biting. It's essentially mocking pretentious animal behavior guides and the magazine's own nature-writing conventions through knowing parody.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ORS E The HORSE has ot a tenor voice that makes the hearer’s heart rejoice. It has one toe on each and every hoove. Its ears have flippy little twists. lt wears chin whiskers on its wrists. Its tail in flytime’s always on the move. Once our cross- eyed baby sister bit a Horse. ‘ater, deloved| by all horses. The Horse just missed her with a kick that nicked a passin, Baptist’s hat. 2 horsehair sofer covered with croutons point de spree for the summer. They wear such bangs as flappers love. Their necks have beards attached above with the subject. beautiful instantaneous photo of race horse racing. arms) and whiffle trees they're always bringing home. The Horse's nose is soft as mush. He packs an awful nasty tush, especially when nipping what horses once | human hide That fact recalls the crosseeyed kid; They need a lot of care with brush and comb. The Horse Cy hippogoshwhat, | the prehistoric [Standpapa of the modern horse. 2 short piece of a vey § horse hair rope. A Horse that’s lean and skinny cannot whin so good a whinny as it can when every rib is draped with fat. is soothed by Nature's charms (they learn it in théir mothers’ extinct, ussuspected type. wy \| “O | the daring bareback rider] the Horse she bit just up and did 3 deuble -harreled conniption fit and died. The Horse is covercd with a lawn cf hairy with skin to grow it on. The lawn is either mowed or lef to moult. A papa Horse is rather say but mama seldom acts 2 newly-arrived horse. that way. A Horse is warm but when it’s young it’s colt. Oh! how I love the prancing wast herds of wild horses roamed wild thes lains in the early days. steed! But—I will take my ford for speed. | horsed just once, beneath our apple tree. My chin caught ona handy limb. That didn’t worry our old Jim"— he just skedaddled cut from under me. [2 horse chestnut.| comicbooks.com