Life, 1925-07-30 · page 27 of 36
Life — July 30, 1925 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains three distinct pieces of satirical content: **"My Yacht"** (poem by Newman Levy): A humorous lament about lacking wealth. The speaker fantasizes about leisure—lounging on a yacht, drinking through straws, never working—but admits he cannot afford such luxuries. It satirizes the aspirational daydreaming of working-class readers during economically uncertain times. **Movie Star Cartoon**: Two women at a theatrical performance discuss leaving. One insists they stay to "get our money's worth," satirizing post-Depression audiences' determination to extract maximum value from entertainment purchases, even from bad shows. **"Oliver Cromwell" Anecdote**: A humorous anachronism presenting the 17th-century historical figure as a modern lecturer touring American colleges. The joke lies in attributing the famous military maxim "keep your powder dry" to Cromwell addressing Vassar students, mocking both historical inaccuracy and lecture-circuit culture. **"Too Effeminate"**: A brief joke about masculinity—a woman suggests her boyfriend is becoming unmanly because he uses cigarette holders, reflecting period anxieties about male behavior and consumption. All reflect 1920s-era concerns about wealth, entertainment value, and gender norms.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
My Yacht IF I only had a yacht, Which I've not, Spick-and-span with shiny paint, Which it ain't, With a cushion 'gainst my neck I would loll upon the deck, While the breeze, Cooling breeze, Played about my legs and knees. Simple pleasures such as these Would be my wont, But I don’t. Fragrant beverages I'd draw Through a straw, Pausing just to let them pass Another glass, And I'd never work nor think, But I'd sit all day and drink, While the sea, Soothing sea, Sang a barcarolle to me. Oh, how lovely it would be On my yacht, Which I've not! Newman Levy. NE MOVIE STAR (to another): What did you do when my husband was unkind to you? THE FORMER MOVIE STAR TURNS PARSON “THIS IS A TERRIBLE SHOW, DEAR; LET'S LEAVE.” “WE'LL DO NOTHING OF THE SORT! WE'LL STAY AND GET OUR MONEY'S WorTH.” Little Anecdotes Oliver Cromwell GOOD many years ago, ‘way back in the time when people actually went to lectures, the President of Vas- sar College sent a cable over to gland, asking Oliver Cromwell to stop in Poughkeepsie on his next Chautauqua tour. Oliver had yet to write his first book on his im- pressions of America, and the Vassar faculty thought he might prove to be a good drawing card. A few months later, Oliver appeared on the platform before all the Vassar girls, and delivered an address, parts of which have survived even until this day. “Young ladies,” he said, for it was before the era of Prohibition and most of them really were young ladies, “it gives me great pleasure to appear before you to-night... You are all here in this glorious institution of education to learn how best to fit yourselves for the trials of this world....There is not much that I can say to advise you about these things....I can only offer the axiom which the young ladies of my own country have followed with suc- cess for so many years....1f you would enjoy to the fullest the fruits of this life...put your trust in God, but be sure to keep your powder dry. 1 thank you.” W. K. Ziegfeld, Jr. Too Effeminate THEL: What gives you the impression that Jack isn’t the man you once thought him, dear? Ciara: He's becoming addicted to cigarette holders! poate station which permitted nothing of an advertising nature. comicbooks.com