Life, 1927-05-05 · page 9 of 46
Life — May 5, 1927 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from Life magazine (dated August 18, 1925, visible in the lower cartoon) contains poetry and humor rather than political cartoons. The main content is "To Florence," a poem by John R. Swain about courtship difficulties—a man struggling to express love in elevated language to an educated woman. The poem lists literary quotations (numbered 1-13) as examples of this challenge. The two cartoons are light social humor: the upper one shows a woman asking why a man is "trying to make up my mind whether to be popular to-night or act like a lady"—mocking courtship conventions. The lower cartoon depicts a questionnaire-scoring game where a man arrives late, apologizing for missing "these questionnaire games." The "Rules for Questionnaire Scoring" section mockingly explains scoring absurdly—full credit if you convince everyone you're right, even when wrong. This satirizes the era's parlor games and social pretension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life’e . To Florence OR a man who's in love with a maiden poetic A pace has been set which is hard to maintain; He must utilize terms which are highly wsthetic To adorn the emotion he strives to explain. { I love you, and trust you're not antagonistic; A statement like this is no hardship, you see, But the effort to woo you in verse eulogistic Is hard upon you, and still harder on me. Since I cannot express in original lyrics My fond admiration that ardently glows, I've collected a number of rare panegyrics From pocts whose excellence every one knows. A sonnet which therefore should need no apology I herewith enclose, to my letter annexed, And if you'll consult any standard anthology, You'll readily verify author and text. , 1) O thou from head to foot divinely fair, 2) O heart of hearts, the chalice of love's fire, | 8) Lighten forth smiles to clear the clouded air, | 4) Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire? | 5) Then thou wouldst melt the ice out of my breas “writ ALE wii HEAVY THOUGHT, StnKL?” 6) ‘That with superfluous burden loads the day; “YM TRYING TO MAKE UP MY MIND WHETHER TO BE POP- 7 As after sunset fadeth in the west, ULAR TO-NIGHT OR ACT LIKE A LADY.” 8) Trust on, and think to-morrow may repay. 9) Ask me no more; the moon may draw the x . : 10) Where billows never break, nor tempests roar; Rules for Questionnaire Scoring 11) So, might I, standing on this pleasant lea, (These rules have not been approved by any one, even 12) Perhaps on wing of poesy upsoar? our wife, but who cares?) te 13) The winds lift up their voices; I depart; IF you give an answer that is absolutely wrong, and hey 14) Well, Florence, shall I reach thee, pierce thy heart? admit it when the correct answer is disclosed, you 4 John R. Swain. score nothing, and that’s all you deserve, too. end | 2) fegumont & Fletcher. | 2) Swinburne. 3), Daniel, 4), Add If you give an answer that is incorrect, but are able Sake reares tone St Garth, Ty. Wenisworthe 13) to convince the entire assemblage that the right answer, Keats. 13) “Byron, 14) Browning. as read, is what you meant to say, you get half credit. this If the assemblage includes some of your in-law relatives, and you are still able to convince every one, you get full \ eredit, and more power to you. If you answer, “Jupiter,” when the correct answer is “Venus,” you get the usual credit for good intentions, which is nothing. If you answer correctly the question, “Why is a Senator?” you get full credit and a bonus. (We assume there is an answer.) If you tear the Question Book from the hands of the would-be ques- tioner and throw it out of the window before he can utter a sound, you'll deserve all the credit you get. John C. Emery. Something Snapped MBULANCE SURGEON: What brought on the fit? Netounor: The poor fellow’s new car had just been delivered, and when he came out he saw a butterfly tramping over the paintwork. Prosecutor: WHAT DOES THE DATE, iveust 18, 1925, stigNiry To you? Dora: 1’m sorry, BUT 1M NO Goop QUESTIONNAIRE GAMES, comicbooks.com