Life, 1925-04-23 · page 22 of 37
Life — April 23, 1925 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces typical of early 20th-century American humor: **Top cartoon:** A domestic scene mocking post-WWI slang. Dorothy searches a Mother Goose book for a poem about "Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheik"—a joke about the contemporary "sheik" fad (young men styled after Rudolph Valentino). The humor lies in applying modern slang to nursery rhymes. **Middle section ("Unnoticed"):** A senator boasts about supporting the eight-hour workday and child labor protections, while a sailor claims he's "such a good sailor" he can't attract sympathy—likely mocking politicians who make grand claims about worker protections while workers remain unhelped. **"Life's Little Sermons":** A mock-biblical critique of plumbers' practices—deliberately arriving in expensive vehicles, inflating charges, damaging homes, and rushing away. This satirizes perceived exploitation by tradespeople. **"A Fair Critic":** Points out hypocritical art criticism—admiring paintings by famous artists simply because of their reputation, then discovering the work is actually disappointing. All three pieces target hypocrisy and pretense in American society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Totorays bert gmirge Dorothy: 1'VE LOOKED ALL THROUGH THIS MOTHER GOOSE BOOK, BUT I CAN’T FIND THAT POEM ABOUT “LITTLE BO-PEEP HAS LOST HER SHEIK.” Unnoticed Lire’s Little Sermons What sort of a voyage did you have? CG ONSIDER the plumber! Rotten! I'm such a good sailor I couldn't attract Being summoned for repairs he arriveth at the scene any sympathy. of his labors in a costly vehicle and when he is there he sayeth unto his helper, “Go thou and fetch the implements which I forgot.” And while his assistant is gone he reclineth at his case while he filleth the heart of the mistress of the houschold with misgivings as he estimateth his charges. And when his heiper returneth he sayeth in a loud voice: “O thou wicked and slothful servant! Why returnest thou so promptly? Knowest thou not that this is a time job?" And grumbling, he proceedeth to his work. He spilleth solder upon the rugs and his hammerings dislodge the bric-a-brac. He knocketh plaster from high places, and when the whistle bloweth he fleeth as one pos- sessed of a devil. And the costs of his visitation are visited upon the family even unto the third and fourth generations. But blame him not. For we, too, would reap where we do not sow. Stuart Little. A Fair Critic “HOW DO YOU STAND ON CHILD LABOR, SENATOR?” : HAT a beautiful landscape! You say Frank Wilcox “YM FOR THE EIGHT-HOUR DAY, FIRST, LAST AND ALL THE js painted ite Oh, I don't like his work! I'm always TIME! OUR CHILDREN MUST BE PROTECTED!” admiring some picture, and then finding out that it’s hi: comicbooks.com