Life, 1924-07-10 · page 3 of 36
Life — July 10, 1924 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **literary content and advertising rather than political cartoons**. The left side features three humorous poems: "Ballade of Olympians" (about Olympic athletes and their romantic appeal), "L'Envoi" (on fame and travel), "A Bootlegger's Plea" (satirizing Prohibition's failure), and "The Plot Thickens" (a brief anecdote). The dominant right side is a **General Tire advertisement** showing a 1920s-era racing car on a long road with passengers. The ad's central claim—"It's the second 10,000 miles that make the big hit"—emphasizes tire durability and longevity. The "Bootlegger's Plea" poem is the only political content, sardonically arguing Prohibition increased rather than decreased alcohol consumption, making bootleggers successful and raising the question of who bears responsibility.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ballade of Olympians \VieNn some youth in a Grecian mold Hurled the discus with mighty ease, f.3 Wearing little against the cold a, —— (Note: an early Athenian frieze), , SY Re Did the maiden he sought to please \Vith the olive the victor bore, Half in earnest and half to tease, Merely ask what the ladies wore? SQQSSS= did the messenger who, I am told, ’ Brought the word from Miltiades It th d hat the courage that was of old st S e S e C on Still was warmed by the wine cup's 1 \Q . : “10,000 m ! 11es As he sank to his dust-caked knees, Spent in reaching his loved one’s door, ‘ Hear a voice like the sighing trees a I I l a e S Softly ask what the ladies wore? Those who strive where the flags un- th e b 1 g h i t fold, Gaily greeting the Paris breeze, Seeking laurel more rare than gold (Which the Customs would only seize), Ere they look on the homeward seas Each had better be steeped in lore As to fashions and Poiret's fees And whatever the ladies wore. L’Envoi Prince, whatever the hero sees, Winning fame on a foreign shore, Instantly on returning he's Asked what was it the ladies wore. J.K.M. A Bootlegger’s Plea “You may say all you care to against Prohibition, but, gentlemen, if it weren't for Prohibition, where would we boot- leggers be? Down and out, I tell you! Down and out. And since there must be bootleggers, what is the use of run- ning down Prohibition? “As you are all doubtless aware, since the abolition of the corner saloon—and its establishment in the middle of the block—the Prohibition (or bootleg- ging) business has developed by leaps and bounds, exceeding our fondest hopes and wildest dreams. In fact, we estimate that there is to-day approximately three times the consumption of liquor that existed prior to the passage of that magnificent measure, the Eighteenth Amendment. And who is responsible? @ Who is it that has so admirably and successfully accomplished it? Who, I ask? The answer is obvious. The bootlegger ! “Therefore, gentlemen, I beg of you to bear in mind his achievements in BALLOON BALLOON REGULAR SIZE the past, and not to be too hard upon REQUIRING SPECIAL WHEELS TORIT ORESENT WHEELS LOW PRESSURE our national support—Prohibition.” The Plot Thickens Tue popular novelist stirred in his sleep. “Why didn’t they make twenty Commandments,” he muttered, “instead Ot for my characters to break?” BUILT IN AKRON, OHIO, BY THE GENERAL TIRE AND RUBBER CO, comicbooks.com