Life, 1925-12-17 · page 10 of 40
Life — December 17, 1925 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page contains several brief jokes and commentary typical of Life magazine's humor section. The main illustration depicts three men in winter coats examining what appears to be a fur coat, with the caption explaining one gentleman has decided against wearing his fur coat again after the holidays. The "Life Lines" section includes topical jabs at: - Gold certificate fraud schemes - Sir Charles Higham's promotion of tea - Proposed sidewalk designs - Synthetic gin alternatives - American tourists in Paris - A "Recipe for Middle Western Novel"—a humorous formula satirizing pulp fiction conventions (mixing farm boys, "black forty" plots, hayracks, and "relentless realism") The page represents typical 1920s-era satirical commentary on consumer culture, fraud, and American social pretensions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SPURIOUS one-hundred-dollar gold certificate has been detected on account of the misspelling of the word “treasury.” In these days one needs an education to make money. aL Sir Cuartes Hicuam comes here to induce us to become a nation of tea drinkers. ator Correa of Brazil leaves us, singing a eulogy of Brazilian coffee. Where is the American patri- otic enough to go abroad in the interests of synthetic gin? JL Moving sidewalks are proposed for Paris strects, but many returning American tourists insist they are not The present ones, they say, are warranted at any time to rise up and strike an inoffensive stranger in the necessary eye. at Modern happy ending—"And so. they were married and lived ever after in Florida.” Jt A Nebraska man is walking to Florida )00 bet. This is scarcely enough to pay the real-estate men for his trip. PORTRAIT OF A GENTLEMAN WHO HAS ABOUT DECIDED NOT TO WEAR HIS FUR COAT AGAIN UNTIL AFTER THE HOLIDAYS. Paris costumers are reported to have declared war on the straight-line sil- houctte. As a slogan for the impending struggle, we suggest: Don't give up the hip. aL The cost of a doughboy’s ration in regular army is estimated at th and ninety-four hundredths cents, and a doughboy of our acquaintance wants to know what the thirty cents is for JL All Italy has lately been rejoicing over the opening of the first Italian subway, proving again that some people never know their luck. aL Discussing the American girl, ALBert E. Wiccas, biologist, says beauty and intelligence go together. Say it ain't so, Mr. Ztecretp. JL Our Board of Optimism reports that, thanks to the coal strike, fewer people are likely to go crazy with the heat this winter. JL President Cootince’s message to Con- gress was broadcast over the radio and heard, it is said, by some ten million people—some of whom, no doubt, were actually members of Congress. JL Aiter the speech, Senator Boran is un- derstood to have remarked, “Oh, it’s all right as those bed-time stories go.” aL Young Bos La Fottette is proving that he is a chip of the old block. Recipe for Middle Western Novel TAKE one farm boy who is meant for better things; mix with fertilizer, one “back forty” and a heaping spoon- ful of “black loam”; flavor with dumb country moll named ’Tina; add a dash of flip town gal; sprinkle liberally with hayracks, blizzards and “achs"; bottle, and label it “relentless realism.” LAY bridge?” “You bet. Learned last night.” comicbooks.com