Life, 1926-09-30 · page 8 of 36
Life — September 30, 1926 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two literary pieces: "Wild Elms," a satirical short story about college life, and "A Rare Model," a brief humorous anecdote about a car purchase. The main illustration for "Wild Elms" depicts college students in casual, somewhat dissolute situations—drinking, lounging, discussing worldly matters. The accompanying text captures period slang and student behavior, referencing smoking, drinking, and romantic entanglements. "A Rare Model" uses the illustration of men examining an automobile with apparent confusion or skepticism. The caption's joke—about a man turning down a sophomore who asked him to subscribe to "the Lit" (likely a literary magazine)—plays on the assumption of inappropriate solicitation, creating satirical commentary on college publication promotion tactics. Both pieces mock early 20th-century college culture through exaggeration and innuendo.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Father: jane, Was your yous AN ANY BAD HAB Jane: YES, FATHER, IE DORSN’T SMOKE OR DRINK, Wild Elms A Tabloid Novel of College Life Cuaprer ONE ming, throbbing and thrumping.. . URPLE elms deepening in the eompa, oompa, a... that was twilight...the shadow of the the saxophones... .) s hands, grim old psych building, vaguely hot on the back of his collar. ..no, threatening....Martha...she would — that was Andy’s collar... .b'jees... be making fudge now, back in the cozy McAllister kitchen, humming that little song that had no words, no words that made any sense, any- how... .let’s see, was it Phi Gamma Nu, or Nu Gamma Phi?...it was all so new...there was the famous fence... four years. ..what was life, anyway ?...“Hey, Freshman!" — Cnapten Two Andy had taken his shirts a dam’ him. ..¥ a-a, Dearold!. “Hoskins, are you pulling that or stirring your cof right, I'll see you and : dam’ you.”....Good old kind of made a fellow think. ..enasty stuff. ..Seotch wasn’t any better....“What I mean, fellows, we ought to have more, that is, if you understand.”...""Block that kick!""...Queer guy, Mac, ought to have more sense. . .get himself talked about....What did he mean, any- way?...What was it all about—? Cuapter Tiree b’jees...sex...that’s what it was, sex...oh, shut up, you fellows and your smutty —songs...b'jees.. he hadn't written Martha in eight years ..-b'jees...big man on the « ampus what of it...sex...that's all, Mabel—wild little kid. . God! good likker— Cuarter Four Well, it was all over. ..what was all over?—it was just beginning what was?...yeah, that was it... you thought it was and maybe it wasn’t...what did old Prof. Mid- dlebury say?...Life was a flux... that’s it, a flux....Anne...oh, God, Anne...funny t about that... four years...well, he'd soon be in the bond business and a dam’ good thing....Doug was going to write a play. ..not much longe -elms purpling in’ the tw +. usque, usque ad nauseam, vale Dearold ...good-by, Anne...was that he, sobbing what was the big idea Henry William Hanemann. A Rare Model RS. WEST: The Briggses have a wonderful new car. Mx. West: Why wonderful? “It's paid for!” “THERE GOES BUTCH GEEVEM—THE BIGGEST MAN IN OUR CLASS.” “WHAT DID HE EVER DO?” Bjees...b’jces.... Mabel. . .eves “TE TURNED DOWN A SOPHOMORE WHO ASKED HIM TO that glowed like a cat’s...thrum- SUBSCRIBE TO THE ‘LIT.’ ” comicbooks.com