Life, 1926-09-16 · page 25 of 40
Life — September 16, 1926 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"The Call" (poem by Berton Braley):** A humorous meditation on wanderlust. The speaker insists the four winds call him to exotic locations (Athabasca, Zanzibar, Tibet, Alaska)—yet concludes he can easily stay home. The satire targets romantic notions of adventure: despite passionate rhetoric about wandering, real life keeps people rooted. **"Rare Gifts":** Two flappers discuss trivial female accomplishments—one girl can wiggle her ears, another (over 15) can blush naturally. The joke mocks shallow social competition among young women. **"Sporting Bystander":** A crowd watches a small boy, with betting odds on "the little fellow." The caption suggests gambling on an underdog. **"Just Between Us Girls":** A breathless monologue (by Lloyd Mayer) from a flapper gushing about a "TheOPHilist" (Theosophist—a spiritual/mystical movement) named Krishna Murky. She's infatuated despite his ascetic ideals (no meat, plays tennis/golf instead of dancing). The satire targets both flapper superficiality and fashionable interest in Eastern spirituality. **"Undeceived":** Brief dialogue—a cook was told her new employer was sweet-tempered but found otherwise. Simple ironic joke.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life The Call Tee East and the West Winds are calling and ‘The South and the North Winds are calling me, too. And cach has a voice so completely enthralling That I’m in a quandary what I shall do! When wanderlust gets you, you burn as with fever, You thrill and you shiver, you chill and you glow; If you have a wife you undoubtedly leave her, Unless you can take her along as you go. The orchids are blooming in fair Athabaska, The ice-floes are crunching in far Zanzibar, The tigers are roaming through Southern Alaska Or Southern Tibet, or wherever they a There's China to go to—the There's plenty of places, if one has the fare. And though all the way you would probably be gypped, If you had the wandcrlust, you wouldn't care! And can I stay home when the ships are departing To sail over seas that I never ha’ n? And cn [ stay home when the rovers are starting On trails that are blithe—if you know what I mean? And can I stay home and grow soft when the acid Of wanderlust burns, and trails call to a man? And can I stay home where it’s humdrum and placid? The answer is easy—I certainly can! Berton Braley, Rare Gifts GIRST FLAPPER: I once knew a girl who could wiggle her ears. Secoxp Friar: That's something worth mention- ing, but my cousin Nellie is over fifteen and she can blush naturally. \ ue me <y SV MER Ry a Sporting Bystander: evEN MONEY ON THE LITTLE FELLOW. The Little Fellow. Taxen! SU TheOPHilist because I mean AMURKY person the most er SEEN, my dear—I mean [ ean he has the most aDORABLE- looking LAS dear—simply YARDS long and the most alLURING u've ever KNOWN and he has FRIGHTfully high iDEALS and everything, my dear, because I mean he’s a ‘MesSIAH’ or somet peculiar who doesn’t eat ME just plays T NIS and GOLF instead of DANCI or anything kind of FRIVolous like that because the TheOPHilists are all kind of STRICT about things like that. Well, this KrishnaMURKY, my dear, is a HEALER or something, I think, which is te: interesting, I mean, because I used to know a boy at YALE who was HEALING the NEWS or something all the time, my dear, but anyways I think this Kris! TURKY is simply aDORable and I mean I'd give simply ANYthing in the WORLD to meet him because I bet he’s perfectly FAS ing to TALK to even if he DOES insist on reFORM- body or something which SIMPLY obNOXIOUS my dear, because I think it is sHT fully sort of anNOYing to reformed all the time—don't YOU? Well, any I think being a TheOPHilist is ly the nicest kind of a reLIGION to be, my dear, because KrishnaMURKY is so FRIGHT fully attractive and every- thing and this Mrs. PHEASA) something who is chaperoning him is a perfect old PEACH, I think, be- cause I mean she’s ¢ some perfectly apP d like that, my dear, and BOBS her hair! I mean she ACtually DOES!” Lloyd Mayer. I think this KR DIVINE man I've ACtually DO! Undeceived RIDGET: Before I went as cook to Mrs. Brown, yez told me she was sweet-tempered. Noran: Well? Brivcet: Well, yez did her great injustice. comicbooks.com