Life, 1924-11-20 · page 24 of 40
Life — November 20, 1924 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This article satirizes the agricultural crisis of the 1920s by proposing an absurd diagnosis: **radios have ruined farmers by disrupting their sleep schedules.** The writer argues that farmers, newly equipped with radio sets meant to combat rural isolation, now stay up late listening to distant broadcasts (Los Angeles, England, Chicago dance orchestras) instead of maintaining traditional early bedtimes. This causes them to sleep through dawn chores, delay farm work until midday, and neglect livestock—thus destroying agriculture. The satire mocks both contemporary farmer complaints (blaming "Wall Street," political parties, various scapegoat groups) and urban middle-class assumptions about rural life. By proposing that the solution is removing radios entirely—or implementing a "rural curfew"—the author ridicules the era's tendency to blame new technology for social problems rather than addressing actual economic causes. The accompanying cartoons and short humorous pieces (about standing in line, Shakespeare puns) reinforce the magazine's satirical tone throughout the page.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
22 heer HR Lae Mee duis vm moderation * DPB, -)), UCbL wh de dae i ee The Real Trouble with Farming AM afraid we shall have to take the radio sets away from all the farmers. We all thought the radio would be a wonderful thing for the farmer. We were all glad that at last he could have at his own hearth the culture and jazz by which we city folks benefit. The loneliness of farmers has been one of our worries right along, and we rejoiced when we believed that the radio would end this loneliness. But, my, my. It looks now as if loneliness were one of the prime ingredients of the well- being of the agriculturist. And if it is a choice between intel- lectual starvation for the farmer and actual physical starvation for us city folks, there is no question but that the farmer must be intellectually starved This is severe, but so are a lot of other things. It is certain that farming has gone to the dogs in recent years. The farmers will be the first to admit this. In fact, they have been the first to admit it. The blame for this condition has been laid on all three political parties, on Wall Street, on the Catholic Church, on the Jews, on the Negroes, on the white folks, on the Ku Klux Klan, on Europe, and on the weather. But let us look deeper. Let us go right to the heart of the matter and examine the farmer himself. Has there been any change in him in the last few’ years? Yes, indeed, there has. The farmer has not been keeping the hours he used to keep. bluntly, he has been sitting up late. has been dissipating at the radio. Instead of going to bed with the poultry and getting up at the crack of dawn, the farmer has been staying up like a chorus girl, trying to get Los Angeles or England or Drake Hotel dance orchestra at Chicago, on his radio, and next day the farm animals get their breakfast about noon, and ploughing begins when the sun is high in the heavens. I would not be sur- prised to hear of some farmers’ having breakfast in bed This is what is wrong with agri- culture. To put it He Somehow or other we must restore the farmers’ normal bedtime hour. One way is to sound a national radio rura! curfew about eight o'clock every night and get the farmers to promise to ¢ to bed then. The other is to take 1! bull by the horns and remove all radi sets from farmhouses. This is probab! what we shall have to do. A third way would be to stop al! broadcasting. This wouldn't be so bad Don Herold. Standing in Line F the population continues to increas and standing in line remains able, we predict that in 1950 we shall Stand in line to get up in the mort ing. Stand in line to blow our noses, Stand in line to sniff rain in the a Stand in line to sneeze. Stand in line to slap mosquitoes. Stand in line to hear the clock strik« Stand in line to look at the stars Stand in line to fallin love. Unrecorded Retort “YOND Cassius has a lean and hy gry look,” remarked Julius Cas “I've lost a lot of sleep late! explained Cassius, “sitting up to watch my calories.” RACK! The redskin bit the dust “Great Spirit!” he roared at his dusky squaw. “There's sand in these maize muffins again!” “AREN'T YOU USING THIS WE “NOPE. I THOUGHT IT WAS TOO FAR-FOR THE WOMEN FOLKS TO CARRY WATER,” comicbooks.com