Life, 1924-07-24 · page 10 of 36
Life — July 24, 1924 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **Life's Own Hero Fund**, recognizing ordinary people for selfless acts during fiscal year 1924. The recipients include: - **Otto L. Blitz**: gave a porter 25 cents and demanded his money back - **J. Walter Smith**: demanded his money back from a drugstore - **Thomas Jefferson Muth**: complimented his card partner - **Joseph E. Dill**: dried his hands on his wife's guest towel The satire is clear: these are **mock awards for trivial or mildly selfish acts**, inverting the concept of heroism. Life magazine is satirizing American society's tendency to celebrate minor courtesies or self-interested behavior as virtue. The accompanying illustration shows dogs selecting puppies, captioned about choosing a "nice black one"—likely satirizing shallow decision-making. The "From an Eyewitness" section references **Calvin Coolidge and the 1919 Boston police strike**, a significant political event of that era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
« LIFE * LiFE’s Own Hero Fund (For the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1924) TTO L. BLITZ, for having on January 14, at seven o'clock in the morning, given the porter on a Pullman sleeping-car twenty-five cents and asked him for fifteen cents change, received Lire’s Hero Fund Bronze Medal and a framed translation of the porter’s words. J. Walter Smith, for having on November 9, after having tried six bottles of Thatch Your Dome and become balder than ever, gone to the drug-store where he had bought the stuff and demanded his money back, received Lire’s Hero Fund Bronze Medal and a toupee during his lifetime. Thomas Jefferson Muth, for having on April 28, after just trumping his partner's ace and thus losing five in no- trump doubled, smiled and said, “Jt’s a nice night, isn’t it, partner?” received Lire’s Hero Fund Silver Medal and fifty dollars to help him get out of the country. Joseph E. Dill, for having on March 7, at 6:15 Pp. ., after digging for worms in the garden, gone to the bathroom and dried his hands on his wife's best guest towel, received Lire’s Hero Fund Gold Medal and three bottles of arnica and a crutch. B. B. “GOODNESS, MR. BUMP, WHAT'S THE IDEA? TAKIN . . THE SUN CURE? E moderns have eyes for the movies, ears for the “NOPE. JEST SETTIN’ HERE GITTIN’ Goop ’N’ HoT So's radio, a nose for news, and the personal touch. All I CAN REMEMBER IT NEXT WINTER.” that we lack is taste. From an Eyewitness I AM very grateful indeed that it is within my humble power to settle the great question now before the American people, namely, Did Calvin Coolidge win the Boston police strike? I was present on Boston Common at the time the strike took place. Mr. Coolidge was, as I now recall it, at the time either Governor or Chief of Police. Anyway, it was a bright, al- most cloudless day. I went up to him santly as I could: you, and you alone, settled the strike?” He gazed at me fixedly for a mo- ment and then replied “Be that as it may.” These words were indelibly impressed upon my mind. Mr. Coolidge was in dead earnest. I give this testimony of my own free will. Nobody has tried to coerce me. (Signed) Henry Capot Loner, USAN: Is Jack's breakdown any- thing serious? Susanne: Oh, no. The doctor only - said his new cigarette-holder was too “COME ON, ETHEL, LET'S TAKE A SPORTING CHANCE! 1 CHOOSE THIS NICE heavy for him, BLACK ONE.” comicbooks.com