Life, 1924-07-03 · page 5 of 36
Life — July 3, 1924 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains satirical commentary on marriage and gender roles, typical of early 20th-century American humor. **"From the Heart"** features Representative Smith addressing Congress about patriotism and duty, sarcastically contrasting talk of noble sacrifice with the mundane reality of comfortable civilian life—a critique of politicians' rhetoric versus actual commitment. **"The Complete Husband"** presents parallel lists satirizing marriage: qualities women seek versus why they actually marry (brute strength, high regard for women, etc.) versus why they divorce him (the same qualities). The joke critiques how the same masculine traits women initially value become sources of marital conflict. **"Reminiscent"** depicts a couple nostalgically recalling early romance while their present circumstances (modest housing, financial constraints) reveal how romantic ideals clash with married reality. The servant's comment underscores class awareness about domestic life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
From the Heart The Complete Husband (Representative Smith addresses a Why She Married Him Why She Divorced Him ourth of July meeting in his home dis- H's brute strength. His brute strength. rict and tells the people what he is His high regard for His high regard for women in really thinking.) women in general. general, His gift of repartee. His gift of repartee. } ADIES AND GENTLEMEN: His impetuosity. His impetuosity. u When I look down on this sea of His willingness to sacrifice all His willingness to sacrifice all crspiring faces the thought that is for ideals. for ideals. WLW. ppermost in my mind is how many of eg vou boobs will vote for me if I pass Reminiscent out the necessary bunk about the flag. “ADAM, won't you take my “It's the best dinner in the whole city It's a hot day and I can think of about seat?...” and costs just one dollar...” forty-eight things I'd rather be doing “Two in the first row? That will “T could waltz with you forever...” than sweating here in the sun, but I've be sixty cents, please... “Yes, it’s a nice house, but the rental xot to get your votes somehow, and “Why, it's almost midnight! We — is cight hundred a year...” anyhow, it’s a lot easier passing out really must be leaving...” “Waiter! Another of the same...” patriotic bunk than it is doing hard, earnest work in Congress. Any kid in high school knows more about Ameri- can history than I do, but I got my secretary to look up a lot of dates and things in the almanac yesterday and I hope you'll swallow ‘em down and think I'm a great man. After which I'm going to hand you Daniel Webster's stuff about Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable, if I don’t get it balled up, and I hope you'll cheer your heads off. I got a coupla men in the crowd that’s been paid to start the cheering and to keep it up, but it'll all go into the papers as “an out- burst of spontancous applause” and it's what a thing seems to be that counts. ...Well, from the way you've swallered my stuff you're bigger boobs than I thought you were, but I'll go on just the same telling you you're grand citi- zens, because I need the votes....Now I'll say farewell and depart. You think I'm going home and study the Constitution maybe, but I ain't. I'm going to get me a good stiff drink and then I'm going to sit in on a little game of stud. (Cheers.) “SHE STAYED UP 'N’ WASHED ALL NIGHT, SO'S SHE COULD GO BEGGIN’ TO-DAY.” Bertram Bloch, “WELL, YEZ CAN DO THOSE THINGS WHEN YE'RE YER OWN BOSS.” comicbooks.com