Life, 1924-06-05 · page 39 of 48
Life — June 5, 1924 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This poem satirizes the "modern woman" of the 1920s, specifically her newfound boldness in smoking cigarettes publicly—then considered scandalous behavior. The joke escalates absurdly: a woman smokes while standing on a burning bridge, after being tied to a hot air balloon, at the Matterhorn, and even in Kansas at William Allen White's home. In each scenario, she calmly smokes "with evident delight." The satire targets both changing social norms (women's increasing independence and rejection of Victorian propriety) and perhaps the shock value itself—suggesting society's pearl-clutching over women's smoking is overblown. The final stanza implies even entering Heaven won't stop her. The accompanying "Commencement Speeches" section offers complementary social commentary on post-WWI attitudes: graduation, changing gender dynamics, and economic uncertainty among youth. The page also contains an advertisement for Estey Theater Organs (unrelated to the satire).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Modern Maid ntly ause whil in the awaiting of Mr. McCor ette with evident de —New York Evening World. Tue girl stood on the b b Whence all had fled She coolly smoked a c With evident « And still she smoked a ci With evident delig! And loosed it in t She only smoked a ci With evident de They pushed her off the Matterhorn, And in her head! She blithely smoked a cigaret With evident delight They took her to the Kansas home Of William Allen White And she smoked a cigarette With evident delight. © Maid, at Heaven's gates ajar, An awe-inspiring sight Say, will you smoke your cigarette With evident delight? HOW Commencement Speeches Thr Dean “Another year over, thank God! Mary, have you seen my things? fishing Tue Orv Gran: “We certainly ran these exercises better in our day!” Tue Proun Fatuer: “My son is finishing at his college to-day, and you will hereafter send all bills to him direct.” Tue Sox “Well, no more petting parties for a while, I guess. Wonder who will buy my coonskin coat. Wonder if dad will give me a job. Tue Son's Girt It’s been a nice meal ticket for four years, and his Let's see “Too bad he's through. bootlegger was a wonder. what freshmen do I know A.C. dr Princess May probably does not object to little Master Lascelles’ romp- ing with Grandpa, but she does not want him to learn to ride a cockhorse from | his Uncle Ed. j ThA AT THE THEATER THE modern theater goer quite naturally anticipates hearing a pipe organ in any well-appointed theater. Many of the best houses feature their organ programs quite as much as they do their attractions on stage or screen. Metropolitan theaters avail themselves of the organ to augment the tonal effeéts of the full orchestra. Smaller houses use it to supplant the orchestra entirely —a measure of economy for the owner that is at the same time an added delight to his patrons. The Estey Theater Organ is especially designed for its mission. Its extreme flexibility permits it to interpret the changing moods of a motion picture with utter fidelity. Its wide range enables it to match in tone and shading all the laughter and tears and eternal thrill of the age-old human drama Estey Pipe Organs ‘are also built for homes, churches, hotels and concert halls. Each is planned and built for its specific purpose according to location and volume of sound required, but all are alike in their perfeétion of tone and construction. Estey Organ Company, Brattlebore, Vermont comicbooks.com A, 3 a 5 A ; 4