Life, 1924-07-24 · page 5 of 36
Life — July 24, 1924 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page from *Life* magazine contains short political and social commentary pieces titled "Life Lines." The top section features a woodcut-style illustration labeled "A STUMP SPEAKER"—a caricature of a politician addressing constituents, with scattered text representing his rhetoric. The jokes target early 20th-century American politics and society: fundamentalist religious movements being "disillusions," political candidates' wives arranging nominations, and ignorance about public figures (referencing someone unfamiliar with William Jennings Bryan). The bottom illustration shows a family scene with the caption: "IF YOU MEAN DADDY, HE IS IN RENO. IF YOU MEAN PAPA, HE IS IN PARIS"—satirizing wealthy Americans' marital infidelity and their habit of maintaining separate residences in fashionable locations during separations. The humor derives from the casual acknowledgment of familial dissolution.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life Lines ERE is a man in Illinois who has voted in nineteen presidential elec- tions. One of these days this fellow is ing to be disillusioned. LL The Fundamentalists seem to be de- voting most of their time to entertain- ing motions that denominations be closed. aL A lady bandit recently left her baby son in his carriage outside a bank while she went in to hold the place up. This should teach banks to place “No Park- ing” signs before their doors. aL Looking back over the career of King Constantine of Greece these past few years suggests that he take for his motto: Reign before seven, resign be- fore eleven. aL Out of every two hundred of our pop- ulation, it is estimated, there is one person mentally defective. “Eenie, meenie, miney, mo— ? Friend of the Family: A STUMP SPEAKER Nicholas Murray Butler invited Papi to lecture in America, and Papini re- fused. From now on, we should let Dr. Butler do all our inviting. -L A British mining expert says that the oil supply in America is running low. Secking its own level, no doubt. . Dr. Koo has been made Premier of China. Apparently, the Klan is power- ful everywhere. *The Many improvements are noted in sport- model automobiles, but a fortune awaits the designer of one guaranteed to get over the railroad crossing after the gates are down, +L Now that there is a regular air mail service between New York and San Francisco, we can find no possible ex- cuse for those transcontinental hikers whose business it is to carry letters from one Mayor to another, LL Tennis rackets, we hear, are being car- ried to church in England, To give everybody an equal chance at the ser- vice? r act of notifying a presidential candidate of his nomination is par- alleled only by the “surprise” parties which wives arrange for husbands. aL A telephone operator in New York has confessed that she never heard of Wil- liam Jennings Bryan. Ignorance is still an adequate synonym for Bliss. HOW IS YOUR FATHER? “ly YOU MEAN DADDY, HE IS IN RENO, IF YOU MEAN PAPA, IE 1S IN PARIS,” comicbooks.com