Life, 1924-08-28 · page 31 of 36
Life — August 28, 1924 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces of satirical content: ## "Normalcy" and "Row on Row" A poem and humorous essay about household pantry shelves. The satire mocks domestic life and waste—the poem opens with farmers producing grain while "gamblers raise the price," then jokes that "the G.O. Party smiles again" (likely referencing Republican "Return to Normalcy" politics of the 1920s). The essay humorously catalogs the absurd, broken, and useless items cluttering a typical homemaker's shelves: broken tennis rackets, dead snails in an aquarium, dried ferns, and inexplicably, five bars of soap scattered throughout. The satire targets both wasteful consumerism and the chaos of domestic life. ## The Cuckoo Clock Cartoon A simple visual gag below shows a woman visitor telling a child (Jimmie) she hears a cuckoo bird. Jimmie replies it must have escaped from a clock—a straightforward children's joke playing on the mechanical cuckoo birds found in novelty clocks of that era. The page also lists "Life's Fresh Air Fund" contributions—a genuine charitable program providing country vacations for poor city children.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE - 29 LIFE’S Fresh Air Fund Live's Faesn Aim Fuxp has be time it has expended $271,448.33 4 eity childs Normalcy "THE farmers raise the golden grain, The gamblers raise the price; 4 operation for the past thirty-seven yeurs. In that I has y a fortnight in the country to 45,928 poor he G. O, Party smiles again And everything is ni Row on Row Pantry Shelves of the Most Pe t How, ARGUERITEI of mine who is justly or ™: her own “circle,” ‘se wy she runs her ménaye you use on your pantry er of My Acquaintance I said to a friend tamous for the what system shelves? n sure it must be a revelation, Tell Elain she replied, “perhaps the rst eloquent explanation would be for yourself. Bs Jon't wake u to look for led whimsical] The ¢ ed a_ revelation, and ran, s closely as I can remember, s follows : Top row—s can of silver polish rush; a cracked vase; four f halls, all badly cut; a red lass mug, engraved with the vord, “Dearie”; six chipped lates and a sauce boat, the handle missing; a bottle of am- monia; a badly worn cocktail haker x bars of soap; a shoe a dog collar. Second row—Dishes, dessert lates and platters cake of ap; a ket of ning of the D'Urbervilles beer steins, with tops; a ifing dish; jars, mpty; several ramekins ; anch of cigar coupons; two dried fern, Third row—Broken tennis acket; magazines; a tin of bouillon cubes; a cigar humi- 3 dishes, and a cake of soap. Bottom row—A tin cup; an empty aquarium complete with pebbles and two dead snails; a parchcesi board; a dust rag dried lemon; an empty tin of talcum powder; a corkscrew; five bars of soap. The above list might be studied by all earnest home- bodies to great advantage. Henry William Hanemann. Tess preserve akes of soap; a she up the mtents of the shelves were in- Contributions, which are ackne be made payable to Lire’s Fre Previously acknowledged In memory of Peyton Breckinridge Armstrong, Orange, N 3 S fo- Leebanon, Ba 2. 3, H., Chestnut Hill, Mass, ... Mandel Freed, York....: K. W. Taber,’ Washington. .: John B. Phillips, New York... ‘A. Bonnell, Elizabeth, N. Mrs Herff, San Tex. scees M,_ McE. ’ Crabbe, “Ton 1. E. K.. Lakewood, No J Miss Forbes, South Ora: Walter E. Hope, New Y Etowah, Ey ian ork . “In memory every relat . Mass. Antor Cash ght . New \rork Fischer, Engle Visitor: LISTEN, JIMMIE, I HEAR A CUCKOO. Jimmie: Gee, 1T MUST HAVE ESCAPED FROM A CLOCK. dyed in 1 20.00 10.00 5.00 10.00 1.00 10.00 10.00 11.00 3.00 11,00 11.00 11.00 10.00 11.50 5.00 about three w ut to $98 2 Dana Sexton, Hazelburst, Miss In ‘memory ‘of Dr. Herbert E Baught, Beverly, Mass C. Paul, Marquette, Mich The Glover Children, Washington ph F. Denniston, 3d, Ha . Ma. ks after their jadison ¢ } Hi! Chambertin, Syra South Bend, Ind Banks, Jr « York Mra. A. N. Harris, Osage. W Profits of a Lemonade Sate by Th Ye Small Cedars, Murray Hill, I. . Brooks, Treadwa: Mass. . Mrs. Donald P. ¢ wood, Calif. ji DM. T., New York memory of W. D. IL, ford, Conn. eeeecuttsees FE. B."DeMeritt, Savannah, Ga... Mrs. S. Daddo St. Clair, Pa, McCon, Brooklyn, N.Y Proceeds of a small given by the follow of Upper” Montclair, N. ').— Doris Ewing, Betty and Barbara. Fenn, Janet Woolley, Helen. “Can ham, ‘and Eugenia + tabs, ‘om Jimmy S. York if Leon Verriest, Nie ies Katherine colr Mrs. 3 Bethesda, Md... Mrs, Raymond W. Lewis, Riverdale-on-Hudson W. J. Littlejohn, P: dena ats FR. L. Wayne, Pa Mrs. E.’P. Brown, New ton, Mass Mrs. ‘Edgar S. “Hackney, Uniontown, Pa... Mr. and Mrs. Archibald D. Davis, | Lakewood, Williamstown, wlwin, Holly Strat New Hanover, Lin: ‘Andrews, Masser, Vork, Pa Alexander, Jr. rtsdale, N.Y New Miss Woo BL Quogue, N.Y... Mrs S.C. Mune clair, N. Jois.s0+ “From a friend, in mem fr Pea , Mass. : L., Berkeley. Calif Caroline—Pasa D, Baby dena”: ..scc.. : John | Brand, Elmira, | eg J. S., South’ Orang Betsey C. York ees S._R. Spencer, s Conn. Mrs. A. York Mrs. Jam ton’ é Anonymous, New York... Joseph Hudson Plumb, Jr., Ardmore, Pa.. Geo. P. Levy, Ludlow, Abraham’ Benedict, | N York . oes Pm Mrs J. omer. San’ ‘Francisco. .... (Continued on poge AL Risley,” ew pt, should York City $5.00 5.00 20.00 10.00 11.00 10.00 11.00 10,00 1.00 5.00 11-00 5.00 21.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 1.00 35.00 12,00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10,00 11.50 5.00 3.00 $0.00 10.00 10.00 $.00 13.00 5.00 11.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 comicbooks.com