Life, 1924-12-18 · page 34 of 37
Life — December 18, 1924 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon illustrates the joke "Why Does a Chicken Cross the Road?"—a classic riddle that was apparently popular enough in the 1920s to warrant satirical commentary in *Life* magazine. The image shows well-dressed men in period clothing observing a chicken crossing a street, treating the mundane sight as if it were a profound philosophical or social event worthy of serious analysis. The satire mocks how people over-intellectualize trivial matters, turning a simple occurrence into something requiring elaborate explanation. The accompanying text about "Mrs. Pep's Diary" concerns domestic life, personal psychology, and social propriety—typical *Life* magazine content. The page is otherwise filled with book advertisements and literary reviews from 1924. The joke's humor relies on the contrast between the chicken's simple action and the gentlemen's apparent gravity—poking fun at contemporary pretentiousness and the human tendency to complicate the obvious.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
wy Mrs. Pep’s Diary (Continued from page 12) that the Spartan boy the fox gnawing at his vitals like a happy Hedonist in comparison. It has always been easy for me to r with them that do rejoice, but weeping with them that weep is quite another matter. Whilst I was reflecting upon having run the gamut of friends in affliction, Beth Brown arrived with the news that she could no longer put up with her spouse and retain any of personal dignity. Whereupon 1 questioned her severely, and learned that the inhibitions of gentility were her acutest distress. So I admonished her to break a little crockery and fling a few flatirons. After all, why not? DOES with seems joice sense Troubled all the morning because I could not sum- 13th mon a word in seven let- ters meaning “insides,” nor could I take my place in the cosmic scheme until “marrows” came out of my subcon- scious. I can no longer rely upon Sam- uel for help with cross-word puzzles, forasmuch as he has threatened me with divorce if I do not forego them, thereby dooming me to a_ secret vice....To luncheon at an inn with Gwen Fay, who told me that she had at last foregone the employment under which she has served for twelve years and was about to start her life anew. Whereupon I did realize that my own psychology about the burning of bridges is not one which should be passed on to those who have applied the torch. Lord! I am for clinging to any prop until it crumbles into dust, and should even be minded to step cautiously to prevent its giving way beneath me. That, mayhap, is why I have never given the cru- saders the credit which history accords them. Baird Leonard. Fable Once upon a time there was a fable that didn’t start this way. December A CHICKEN CROSS THE | Books Received | Fictds of Faith, by Crichton Clarke (McCoy Publishing Company) Except Ye Be Born Again, (Macmillan). Grey Face, by Sax Rohmer (Doubleday, Page), Hammer Marks, by Arthur Hougham (Houghton Mifflin) Magellan, by Arthur S. Hildebrand (Har- Flandrau (Harcourt, by Philip Cabot court, Brace). ri ed, by Grace 1 Mah Jong, by R. F. Foster A an Humor, by Joseph Brown) Barrie (Scribner). ry Ansell cise” ner). t ty) iam Simon Ww olff ‘son's Annual for 1924 (Doubleday, y Landrum, by Ridley Wills (Simon & T). Truth ‘ot Last, (Little, Brown) Candle Light, by Ruby M. Ayres (Doran) The Bible and Common Sense, by Basil King (Harper) Isles of the Blest, (Harper) The Hidden Player, by ¢ by Charles Hawtrey by Wilbur Daniel Steele Alfred Noyes cls of Nowadays, by Philip Gibbs ts of Modern Poetry, by Alfred Stuart P. Sherman (Scrib- The Princess and the Clowns, by Frappa (Duffield). Celebrities of Our Time. stein (Joseph Lawren). Passing the Torch, by Mary Raymond Ship man Andrews (Scribner) The Hairpin Duchess, by Alice Woods (Dut field Plays ty Moliére (Boni & Liveright). An Outline of Psychoanalysis, by J Teslaar (Boni & Liveright) The Children’ Jean-José y Herman Bern. S. Van je Book for Young Folks, by Rosetta C. Goldsmith and Sylvia Weil (Simon & Schuster). The Path Wharton Found, by Robert Quillen (Macmillan) La Rows, by Johnston Abbott (Macmillan). Chalk Fece, by Waldo Frank (Boni & Liveright) Tales from Nature’s Wonderlands, by Wil. liam T. Hornaday (Scribnez). Te ens, by Lawrence Perry (Scribner). by Hilda Conkling (Stokes). Garden Varieties, by Kenyon Nicholson (Ap pleton). Feats on. the Martineau (Macmillan) Youth and the Bible, by Streibert (Macmillan). A Harp in the Winds, by Daniel Henderson (Appleton). Man Rater, by Henry Milner Rideout (Duf- Fiord, by Harriet Muriel Character Building in a Democracy, by Wal- ter S. Athearn (Macmillan). wrmnoor mAcLenaeen Cmawroes Company, mew YORE APOETS PROVERBS BEING MIRTHFUL, SOBER, and FANCIFUL EPIGRAMS ON THE UNIVERSE, WITH. CERTAIN OLD IRISH PROVERBS ALLIN RHYMED COUPLETS .+.¢ ARTHUR GUITERMAN-e Concentrated wit and wisdom $2.00 E. P. DUTTON & CO., 681 Sth Ave., New York DON HEROLD’S New Book So Human needs no introduction to the readers of “Lire.” You want it, of course. $2.00 at any bookstore E. P. DUTTON & CO., 681 Fifth Avenue, KOBLER AIR AND WATER PEARL PIPE Takes out of the smoke 19% Nicotin, 85 33% Ammoniac. $5.90. ‘Literature Keble & Co, ine, $94 2000 St, Gattenderg, West Hen York, Hd. Sure Relief 6 BELLANS Hot water Sure Relief SELL-ANS FOR INDIGESTION 25¢ AND 75¢ PACKAGES EVERYWHERE ROUGH, CHAPPED SKIN healed almost over- night by massaging with gentle, antiseptic “Inentholatum Write for free sample Mentholatum Co.. Buffalo, N.Y., Wichita. Kans. Safe The ORIGINAL ht Malted Milk Milk 1] " For Infants, Children, Invalids, Nursing Mothers Avoid Imitations (Asx torHorlick MAJOR’S CEMENT is good for re airing china, glassware bric - a - brac, meer seh aum, tippin billiar ca es Rubber ZE KINDS, 20c. a bottle. If you can't obtain from dealer, will send by mail. MAJOR MFG. CO., 460 Pearl Street, New York City comicbooks.com