Life, 1925-12-31 · page 14 of 37
Life — December 31, 1925 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several unrelated satirical pieces typical of Life magazine's format: **Top cartoon** ("Sincere Wishes"): A man sees his reflection in a mirror wishing "A Very Happy New Year to You!" — the joke being the reflection appears as another person, satirizing New Year's superficial pleasantries. **"Evolution"** section: A humorous prediction sequence following "Horace" from 1901-1926, tracking how a boy's life trajectory changes based on his father's predictions—ending with Horace becoming a Prohibition agent, satirizing both prediction folly and Prohibition-era absurdities. **"The Sunday Golfer"**: A brief joke about a man playing golf on Sunday when he should attend church. **Bottom cartoon**: Shows a domestic scene where a boy kicked his brother; the mother's caption sardonically suggests he should have kicked her first—dark humor about household chaos. The page demonstrates Life's blend of topical satire, domestic humor, and social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Perennial Ballade H, what is life? And what is man? What is the worth of fame and praise? (Answer these questions if you can, . And you'll receive a silver vase.) We strive for endless weary days To gain a niche; yet once we do, Here's what the ruthless public brays: “Ring out the old! ring in the new!” Go through the files of papers; scan The list of fads: no pastime stays For longer than an instant’s span In men’s regard. Such are your ways, O fickle folk! You liked the maze Of crossword puzzles, it is true, But something else is now the craze... Ring out the old! ring in the new! All things must end as they began; The buried body soon decays; And this brief year, whose pleasures ran In common flow with woes, now strays Into the earth like some high blaze That dies to ashes. What a stew! Before you know the past's a haze: Ring out the old! ring in the new! L'Exvor Take my advice, it never pays To let such trifles bother you As this insipid, hackneyed phrase: SINCEREST WISHES. Evolution Ritig out the old! ring in the new! 190 —Horace cries because he can't reach bottle. Pa Simonetta. predicts boy will be wealthy. . : 1906—Horace whipped by Pa after he finds bottle and A THIEF recently broke into a house and stole a bed. shows it to Ma. Pa predicts boy will be stool pigeon. The police are working on the theory that he was a 1911—Horace hits playmate with bottle. Pa predicts boy needy Broadway producer about to put on a play. will have hard time keeping out of penitentiary. 1914—Horace collects dollar from Pa after he finds bottle and promises not to tell Ma. Pa predicts boy will be grafter. #917—Horace stays on Pa’s payroll by threatening to tell i Ma about bottle he found in 1914. Pa predicts boy i will be death of him. 1926—Horace is a Prohibition agent. Pa commits suicide, giving him- self perfect score on accurate predictions. Gerald Cosgrove. The Sunday Golfer “JONES plays golf on Sunday—when he should be in church.” “Does he? Well, he might do worse, you know “Say, did you ever see him play golf?” Mother: Wuat MovED YOU TO KICK JUNIOR, HAROLD? N American's epitaph: “I've brok- Pedantic Harold: 1 THOUGHT THAT, IN THE EVENT HE WAS THINKING OF KICKING en the law where I've found it.” ME, IT MIGHT BE BETTER TO GET MINE IN FIRST. comicbooks.com