Life, 1926-07-29 · page 23 of 37
Life — July 29, 1926 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"The Distinguished Guest Receives the Freedom of the City"** satirizes small-town boosterism. A visiting colonel is paraded through town while locals repetitively tout the same handful of achievements—the new City Hall, paving Main Street, wheat production, altitude—cycling through identical talking points with different officials (Senator Brown, Judge McCann, Alderman Marks). The satire mocks how provincial towns recycle the same limited accomplishments to impress visitors, suggesting shallow civic pride and lack of genuine progress. **"One on the Judge"** presents a prisoner requesting to delay sentencing because "this is outdoors week"—dark humor about prioritizing leisure over legal consequences. **"At the End of the Rope"** philosophically contrasts a carefree dog (the "tail-end") with its anxious owner (the "paying-end"), who worries about taxes, income, and social problems. The piece questions which actually lives better despite their reversed fortunes. **"Fairy Story"** and **"Form Fitting"** are brief joke segments unrelated to the other content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Distinguished Guest Receives the Freedom of the City Wer do you think of our town? That there’s the new City Hall. Colonel, meet Senator Brown, Main Street—we'll pave it next fall. the new City Hall. right proud of our “That there Yes, w e wheat. Main Street—we'll pave it next fall. Altitude four thousand feet. “Yes, we're right proud of our wheat. Largest store north of Cheyenne. Altitude four thousand feet. Colonel, meet Chief Judge Me- Cann. “Largest store north of Cheyenne. Finest hotel in the State. Colonel, meet Chief Judge McCann. ‘That’s where we quarry our slate. “Finest hotel in the State. One of our seventeen parks. That's where we quarry our slate. Colonel, meet Alderman Marks. “One of our seventeen parks. Colonel, meet Senator Brown. Colonel, meet Alderman Marks. What do you think of our town?” Baron Ireland. Fairy Story HE was beautiful. The jury gave her the limit. One on the Judge Judge: wity po you SAY IT 18 IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO BEGIN SERVING YOUR SENTENCE AT ONCE? Victim: because, YouR HONOR, Tits 18 OUTDOORS WEEK. At the End of the Rope HAVE reached that state com- monly referred to as the end of the rope, and I am constrained to meditate upon my immediate en- vironment. It would appear that there are two ends even to the most commonly accepted rope—namely, the tail-end and the paying-end. Re- garding the former, consider the dog on the leash, His is obviously the tail-end. He toils not, neither does he spin, yet not one of Solo- mon’s field lilies is more gloriously arrayed than he. A certain wire- haired terrier of my acquaintance wears studded harness, sum- mers in Maine, winters in Miami, springs at presumptu- “Is 1 DOING WELL?” SAY HE IS. LAST YEAR HE COULD HAVE PAID HIS CREDITORS ONLY FIVE CENTS ON THE DOLLAR; THIS YEAR HE’S OFFERING THEM TEN.” ous airedales, and falls for nothing. Does he worry about his income tax? He does not. Does he care what happened to Jones or who killed the czar? He does not. Did he vote for Prohibition? He did not. Does he have the servant problem for breakfast, the coal strike for lunch and what ails our youth for dinner? He does not. On the other hand, observe the owner of the tail-ender. His is the paying-end. He walks the dog daily, not because he likes the job but because the dog does. He buys special food for the dog, not because he wants to but because the dog gets sick if he doesn't. Does he worry about his income tax? He does, and, more than that, he worries about his income. Does he get himself a high blood-pressure over the whys, whos, and hows of everything? He does. Is he fed three times a day on trouble, anxicty and adenoids? He is. Does an empty ghost of mis- guided morality haunt his drinkless days and dreamless nights? It docs... Now, I ask you—which end leads the dog’s life? Jay Paul. Form Fitting Jack: How can you design such wonderful bathing suits? Jitu: Oh, I just put myself into my work. comicbooks.com