Life, 1924-09-25 · page 22 of 37
Life — September 25, 1924 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on Prohibition-era America (post-1920). **"The Village Bootlegger"** is a poem mocking the irony of Prohibition: the illegal liquor dealer has grown wealthy and respectable, dressing well and attending church, yet profits from selling banned alcohol brands like "Gordon's" and "Haig" at inflated prices ("eighty bucks a case"). The satire is that he's thriving precisely *because* America "voted dry"—Prohibition created his lucrative black market. **Other pieces** on the page include light humor: a Motor Cop cartoon about drivers distracted by safety signs; "My Husband Says," a domestic comedy about marital disagreements; and "A Sop's Fable," which appears to be a humorous reference to Francis Scott Key. The overall tone reflects Life's satirical stance toward Prohibition as economically absurd and culturally contradictory, enriching criminals while claiming moral purpose.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Village Bootlegger URROUNDED by prosperity The fat bootlegger stands ; A useful sort of guy is he, With all the well-known brands— There's “Gordon's,” “Haig,” and “Black and White,” Distilled by his own hands. He dresses well, he’s spick and span, A credit to his race, But ‘neath a solemn mask there lurks A smiling, happy face And you could smile as well as he At eighty bucks a case. He goes on Sunday to the kirk, I really don’t know why! And ofttimes in the midst of prayer He'll breathe a mournful sigh, He thinks how rotten was his life Before we voted dry. W. J. Jackman. Fame in the Making UTHOR’'S FRIEND: What did you do with the money you received from the magazine? Avtnor: I spent it buying complimentary copies for friends, Motor Cop: Wett, Come ON NOW, WHOSE FAULT WAS 1T? Kirst’ Motorist: ‘TWAsN’'T Nobopy’s FAULT. WE WERE BOTH TRYING TO READ ALL THE DAMNED “SAFETY FIRST” SIGNS DD perfect similes: As idle as a horse doctor in De troit My Husband Says HAT divorce will become a lost art when married people like the same religion, music, drama and travel But I think it wouldn't matter much, for everybody at- tends the church where there is the best music, and he perfectly adores Charlie Chaplin and opera while I prefer Mrs. Fiske and hurdy-gurdy, and the man comes to our alley much oftener than opera, but we never quarrel about it. °, we are both fond of travel. s you simply can’t drag her husband out of their own backyard, except when he camps in the old morris chair, but she doesn’t mind that so much, for she positively abhors the design in the upholstery. She says she is crazy to travel and took a trip to New York with a friend, and it broadened her viewpoint to the snapping point, and she hopes she will never lay eyes on her again as long as she lives. But she says one meets such nice people when traveling. L. Blanche Simpson, A Sop’s Fable NCE upon a time there was a man who knew all the words of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” He was Francis Scott Key. comicbooks.com