Life, 1925-04-30 · page 20 of 42
Life — April 30, 1925 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This *Life* magazine page contains three separate pieces of period humor: **"The Farmer" (poem by Arthur Guiterman):** A humorous complaint about agricultural life—the farmer faces constant demands (early milking, crop maintenance, unpredictable weather) yet can never win. If crops succeed, prices fall; if they fail, he still loses. The final joke references "Daylight Saving" (then controversial), which extended his workday artificially. This satirizes farmers' perpetual struggles and the public perception of them as perpetually aggrieved. **Barber cartoon:** A simple visual gag—a customer requesting eyebrow plucking, a beauty treatment then considered somewhat vain or unusual for men, suggesting either affectation or an awkward grooming request. **"Mrs. Peps's Diary":** A society column satirizing upper-class domestic life, featuring trivial social observations (bridge games, dinner parties, wedding gossip) written in affected, verbose language. The humor mocks the pretentiousness and pettiness of this social circle. All three reflect *Life*'s satirical focus on American manners and social class circa the 1910s-20s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A 1 Z = boast g Yigg ener ally ata Lib ih ffl o 4 Vit Barber: WELL, WHAT CAN T DO FOR you, SIR? Customer: JUST PLUCK THE EYEBROWS A LITTLE. Cees Revie Diary April Sam a-caroling Hark, Hark, the Lark! in his 2rd tub. in honor, so he said, of Shakespeare's birthday, but his squawkings were meagre homage, methought, and ran his splashings a poor second. He did caution me too, against discoursing too much with the women I was to play bridge with this day, my acquaint- ance with them being slight. Let your communication be Yea, Yea and Nay, Nay, he quoted, and albeit he is right in his admonition, I have always felt that the Biblical in- junction lacked force, preferring persons who answer Cer- tainly! or Certainly not! to those who use a mere affirmative or negative. So to luncheon at Mistress Quimby’s, finding there a great company, but stupid women mostly, so I did attend to my cards, and gained thirty-two dollars, for which I thank God....Dinner by ourselves, recalling this and that from the past, in especial how Sam and Aldous Squires had circulated the report at the Little wedding that the house was so old there was danger of the floors’ not holding the crowds, thereby gaining dancing space and superfluous champagne for their own particular cronies. A telegram read from Sam's office summoning him at once to Rochester, I did up and pack his 24th a ‘i 7 bag according to his suggestions, and Lord! from the things he fancied he would need, you would have imag- ined him off for a sentence in Siberia. Marge Boothby to (Continued on page 31) The Farmer T is no Fun to be a Farmer Who, when to woo his Feline Charmer The Early Morning Cat me-ows, Must brave the Dark to milk the Cows. While Sparrows chirp their Obbligatos He gathers Beans and props Tomatoes. About the Time the Sun is up He gets his Breakfast Coffee Cup. He spends his Leisure Plowing, Sowing, Manuring, Pulling Turnips, Mowing, And Praying, as he views his Grain, For Lots of Sun or Lots of Rain. When Anxious Farmers get together They Wish for Varied Kinds of Weather ; And when the Weather comes along, No Matter what it is, it’s Wrong. Good Cause the Farmer has to grumble! If Crops are good, the Prices tumble. He never even thinks he’s through; There's always Something Else to do. And when for Rest he’s Fairly Craving, They Stretch his Day with Daylight Saving! Arthur Guiterman. High Fir SALESMAN: What is Deacer: Whatever v Savesman: What can Deater: Well, 1 hope 1 comicbooks.com