Life, 1924-09-04 · page 24 of 36
Life — September 4, 1924 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces mocking modern American life in the early 20th century. **The Cartoon** ("S'matter wid de Kid?"): A child has eaten apples that "don't fit"—likely referring to dentures or false teeth, suggesting modern children are so malnourished or unhealthy they need artificial teeth. The dialect humor was typical of the era's comedy style. **"Please Stand By!"**: This satirizes radio culture's explosive growth and urban Americans' dependency on it. The author mocks vacationers who bring radios to nature, ruining the outdoors experience. The joke is that radio stations will now broadcast *fake* nature sounds (artificial brooks, waves, bird calls) so tourists can continue ignoring actual nature while pretending to experience it. **"Problem in Modernism"**: A word-puzzle mocking contemporary jargon. Terms like "Realtor," "Mortician," "Flapper," and "Psychiatrist" represent newly-coined or popularized words that satirize modern society's increasingly specialized, commercialized language. The overall theme: Life's lampooning how modernity isolates people from authentic experience through technology and artificial substitutes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
22 LIFE'S Fresh Air Fund Live’s Fees Air Fuxp has been in opera for the past thirty-seven 3. In that e it has expended $. . 33 and has ‘na fortnight in the country to 45,925 y children. tions, which are acknowledged in t three weeks after their recei made payable to Live's Fae sent to $98 Madison Ave., I should b Aix Fuxo, $14,928.60 10.00 1.00 $0.00 cester, 10.00 Friend, sly acknowledges eas E. Wallen, Rochester, N.Y Martin Screen & Metal Weather incaster, P: ange, 15.00 Amy N. 10.00 Elizabeth Lewis, . No Js, : saseeces $.00 HS). Raleigh, NoC 5.00 M.R. Howe: Islip, 10.00 m Gordon, Alice. Francis and Grahar Calif cred tren “In Memory fold Ludington Hemingway,” New Haven, Conn. “Three litle Grandch Que: hee, Can... 5.00 a Bradstreet, Rocheste é 11.00 rederic R. Kellogg. New York. 100.00 Md. Pine tance, ” Berkeley, 10.00 10.00 McC., Braddock Heights, $5.00 ton, Mass 15.00 FH Marti " 10:00 Flora Kip, ¢ 7.00 Mr, and Mrs. 00 ) 2.00 10.00 5.00 . 10.00 ington, N¥. 200 H.-S. Eaton, ‘Westfield. Mass. . 10.00 Robert Parsons, Kennebunk, Mex sss: ier N. L. Wyeth, Chadds Fe Pa... Mrs. H. L, ratt, Newton Center, Wass, Secs ies a 3.00 M.D. Ingersoli, Denver, Cot $00 Mrs. E. S. Feriton, Omak, 11.00 Emest | PL Armstrong, Walker, ATE Mec tesn ences ert estes 00 Jedediah Ting! New York . 00 Hudson, New Brunswick, No J. 00 Schnakenherg, New Y . $0.00 10.09 10.00 23.00 pecans 3.00 ortland, Ore... 5.50 Montgomery, Ala $.00 T. Baker, New : . 25.00 19:00 1.00 200 Calif’. oct 5.00 Geo. O. Knapp. Brooklyn. N. 10.00 M. M. AL. New York 100.00 1100 5.00 22.00 ts 1100 . Brooklyn, 3 160 Thomasvill Bee son A friend, Alpena, Mich é 10.00 Selma R. W. |. Wawa, Pa z son N. O' aly, Scarsdale, 2e8 $.00 Ruth Richard: Higgins, West Sullivan, Me * 2.00 1.'P. B., Brookline, Mass. 10.00 Mr. Mrs. Donald Bratt, Hills, N.Y, Mrs. PLP. town, } Kate A\ IsS.cH Mrs. E. ‘ cisto .. 1,00 (Continued on page 30) ae 10.00 nphreys, M 25,00 10.00 10.00 “S’MATTER WID DE Kip? “OH, HE JUST EAT SOME APPLES 'N’ THEY DON'T FIT.” Please Stand By! MaAxY persons who have been away from home all summer without their radio sets have had little pleasure in their vacations. They have listened to birds singing and waterfalls falling or to the dull boom of the breakers, and have been so homesick for Station WOW they could hardly stand it Tt has been their own fault. They might have read all the articles about how you can take a radio set with you anywhere and receive noises through i just as badly as in your own home, By next summer, every radio fan will he all too well aware of that. He will go into the great out-of-doors well versed in’ Radio Kamp Kraft. And Nature will be virtually inaudible. To give Nature what some of us nat- uralists call a fighting chance, we are arranging that all through this fall and winter radio stations shall broadcast the following imitations: Limited babblings of brooks. Breaking waves dashing high on a stern, though not necessarily rockbound. coast. Murmurings of pines—and perhaps of hemlocks also, s of the more raucous wild fowl Various members of the animal king dom calling mates or acquaintance By this strategy, we figure that next summer radio vacationists will stay the guilty hand on tuning knob and. give car for a while to the then familiar sounds of the wilds, thus rendering an unconscious tribute to Nature and at the same time conserving their stora batteries. Fairfax Downey. Problem in Modernism (Reduce to Lowest 7 s) R ALTOR Synthetic. Mortician. Exotic. Flapper Psychiatrist Congress. 7 HEN the were formed why did the Pacific get bigger than the Atlantic?” “It was allowed more latitude, I sup- oceans comicbooks.com