Life, 1925-07-02 · page 14 of 47
Life — July 2, 1925 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical news commentary page from *Life* magazine. The main cartoon at bottom depicts the U.S. Capitol building with a "For Rent" sign, captioned "If Congress Were Sincere in Its Demands for National Economy." The satire suggests Congress demands fiscal responsibility from citizens while being wasteful itself—implying the building should be rented out if lawmakers truly practiced the economy they preach. The column above contains brief satirical items mocking various contemporary figures and institutions: Roger Kahn (saxophonist), W.J. Bryan's political inconsistency, John T. Scopes (the evolution trial defendant), Chinese governmental chaos, and Supreme Court tax policy. The humor relies on readers recognizing these public figures and current events from the 1920s era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MMEDIATELY after the celebration of Independence Day, a large number of Americans will adjourn to Dayton, Tennessee, to enjoy a good hearty laugh. There are always two sides to every question—the right side and W. J. Bryan’ aL Joun T. Scores has positively declined to enter the movies for any amount of money. That's just the trouble with these modernists—they’re too darned old-fashioned. aL Civilizationhas perhaps advanced alittle in the last two thousand years or so. Scores will not have to drink hemlock. L The Des Moines Register is now run- ning its crime news on the inside pages. Some papers will do anything for a sensation. LL And the Billings (Mont.) Gazette has abolished its editorial page. By thus economizing in editorial writers’ salarics, the Gazette will be able to give its readers one additional comic strip a day. LL Shortly after Harvard University astronomers in South America had re- ported the discovery of a new star, Nova Pictoris, seven Hollywood movie magnates cabled Sciiorita Pictorts, asking her to name her own figure. Rocer Kaun intends to devote his time in tracking down social criminals, yet he refuses to give up playing the saxo- phone. Physician, heal thyself! aL We hear that the governmental machin- ery in China is reduced to an utterly hopeless and chaotic mess. Those heathen seem to copy us in everything ! aL The Chinese cut off their queucs too soon, With five thousand radio sets already in China and more constantly coming, the queue would have made an admirable outside aérial. LL The town of Void, Lorraine, has un- veiled a monument to “the inventor of the first horseless carriage, which had a maximum speed of two and a half miles an hour.” And we can imagine some almost prehistoric constable chortling: “Two an’ a half? Tell that to the Judge. You were going six miles an hour if you were going an inch.” iL The Supreme Court has declared that the publication of income-tax returns is legal, which just about takes away all the fun we ever managed to get out of reading those dreary lists. aL Bathers at bathing beaches, says an English paper, will have an opportunity of indulging in a new sport this year. fi ere = a 2 If it has anything to do with going into the water, it probably won't prove very popular, se LL The Van Swerincens bought a part of the Nickel Plate Road and then borrowed enough on the part to buy the whole. They seem to have dis- covered the secret of perpetual promo- tion, aL Ma and Re, otherwise masurium and rhenium, newly discovered elements, are hereby admitted to good standing in this department on condition that they ere never seen entering a crossword puzzle, LL Henry Fokker, the Dutch builder of aeroplanes, declares that in five years he will be able to fly to New York in a few hours. But by that time New York will be able to mect him more than half-way. A On June 30, the United States ended its fiscal year. Well, happy new fiscal year! LL Motto for Mr. Bryan and his band of embattled fundamentalists: Out of the textbooks by the next school term. LL Perhaps they'll found, in Tennessee, After the prosecution, The Order of the Chimpanzee Or Sons of the Evolution, nak a comicbooks.com