Life, 1925-03-12 · page 25 of 40
Life — March 12, 1925 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece uses snakes as a metaphor for Irish people and Irish-American stereotypes, referencing St. Patrick's legendary expulsion of snakes from Ireland. The parade listing mocks various Irish ethnic and regional identities: "Copperheads," snakes from Belfast and Cork with "Kilkenny Cats," references to Irish whiskey ("Poteen"), and "Mammy Hibernia" (a stereotype of Irish motherhood). The humor targets Irish-American stereotypes—including criminality ("vipers," "snakes in the grass"), labor ("garter snakes rolling their own" cigarettes), and bootlegging ("Snake-Oil Wagon Show"). The piece suggests Irish immigrants as undesirable, using the biblical parallel of expulsion. This reflects early 20th-century anti-Irish prejudice common in American popular media, where Life published such content aimed at educated, presumably non-Irish audiences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* LIFE * When the Snakes Left Ireland (Line of March, with St. Patrick in the Reviewing Stand) PLATOON of Copperheads. ees Rattlers’ Jazz Band “es ¢ Gartersnakes, Rolling Their Own, see FLOAT. King Cobra. Attended by Vipers and Snakes in the Grass. see Puff Adders with Portable Typewriters. ee Pink Snakes with Lavender Polka Dots. (Habitat: Bushmills.) see Boa Constrictor Asleep in Open Barouche. Rabbit and Guinea Pig Guard of Honor. ee Milk Snakes. Certified. Grade A. Grade B. Grade C. Loose. eee Orange Snakes from Belfast. Green Snakes from Cork. Wish Escort of Kilkenny Cats, Ram- pant. eee Water Snakes from Killarney. With Poteen on the Side. Black Snakes. (Mammy Hibernia.) oes Veteran Snakes in Carriages. Sons of Snakes. ee Snake Eggs, in Field Incubators. eee Ambulances. eee Snake-Oil Wagon Show. A. H. F, Lire'’s Little Sermons O, the Young Intellectual! He is zxsthetic. He dwelleth among his kind and talk- eth confidently of his art. He letteth his hair grow long and discourseth of Freud. He shaveth not but he un- derstandeth the futuristic. He laugh- eth to scorn the conventions and prateth of free love. He derideth industry. And yet, being hungry, he buyeth sustenance with money which his father hath earned. For he remaineth zsthetic only so long as he is comfortable. So we mock him, knowing in our hearts that we too would be wxsthetic. But for the absence of rich fathers. Stuart Little, LOTHES don’t make the man go to the average revue, A-RAY HAT-CHECK SEARCHING CABINET “7's IN YOUR RIGHT-HAND LOWER VEST POCKET, SIR.” AITH, IF 1T WEREN'T FOR SAINT PATHRICK, YOU'D BE A SHNAKE.” Wes. Reps Diary Awake betimes, reading March in the journals of yester- 5th day's doings in Washing- ton, and wondering if, had I spent more time conversing with Mr. Lucey when I went to school in Northampton, I might now be Governor or something, which God forbid. I care not who makes the laws of the nation, so long as men need not take them too seri- ously. And as for that, how could they?...A package come early from Mr. Knopf, the publisher, and it was Floyd Dell's new novel with the leaves not yet cut, which put me in a fearful rage, forasmuch as I despise to do any manual labor when I read....To a great luncheon at Ethel Liscomb’s, find- ing there Mary Ames, who told me with pride that, albeit her boy had failed to pass in his studies at school, he was highest of those who did not qualify. Thence to an employment agency to search for a servant to replace our Anna, who hath fallen ill, and I was at some pains to keep my face straight whilst interviewing the candidates (Continued on page 29) comicbooks.com