Life, 1924-06-05 · page 21 of 48
Life — June 5, 1924 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains early-20th-century humor satirizing both scientific romance and social conventions. **"A Laboratory Love Song"**: A parody love poem addressing Chemistry itself as a romantic partner, listing chemical compounds (Cyanides, Peroxides, Uranium) as objects of affection. The joke mocks overly earnest scientific enthusiasm and pedantic romanticism—treating lab chemicals with the passion usually reserved for human lovers. The refrain "Fiddle-de-dee!" undercuts any seriousness. **"June Janglings"**: Witty aphorisms mocking middle-class life—forced nature appreciation via car rides, poorly chosen hat purchases, vacation budgeting, and family financial strain. **"The Polite World"**: A brief satirical exchange where a daughter defends improper behavior toward a young man by claiming "it's done in the very best advertisements"—mocking how advertising normalizes dubious social conduct. **"A Swing for Baby"**: A pun-based joke about punctuation obsession and typing school graduates. Throughout, the magazine targets pretension, conformity to advertising culture, and the absurdities of modern domestic life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE - A Laboratory Love Song H, come where the Cyanides silently flow, And the Carburets droop on the Oxides below Where the rays of Potassium glow on the hill, And the song of the Silicates never is still! Come, oh, come Tumti, tum, t Peroxide of Seda and Uranium! When Alcohol’s liquid at thirty de And no chemical change can affe : While Alkalis flourish, and Acids are free, My heart shall be constant, sweet Science Yes, to thee, Fiddle-de-dee ! Zine, Borax, and Bismuth, and H O+¢ La Touche Han Tommy: AW, PA. 1 WANTA KOW! June Janglings NATURE admired under compulsion of politeness from the rear seat of somebody else's automobile tends to be come odious. A straw hat bought last fall at nd intended for wearing this month illustrates how sa fifty cents can spoil a man's happiness The man who cannot afford to g may think he is ill used, but he is t who cannot afford to stay at home The greatest feat of mathematics performed by the aver age man is the division customary two weeks with pay to suit all the members of his family McCready Huston The Polite World OTHER: You shouldn't behave that way with a young man! Daventer: But, Mother, it's done in the very best ad vertisements ty A SWING FOR BABY EAR me! sighed & Peck Typing IF marriage is a lottery then alimony must be a sort of | wish I wouldn't keep gambling debt question mark after my comicbooks.com