Life, 1927-07-07 · page 28 of 42
Life — July 7, 1927 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains four humor pieces typical of early 20th-century Life magazine: **"To Hold, as 'Twere"** satirizes passport photographers, who were notorious for producing deliberately unflattering photos. The joke: a photographer claims to be an "Eternal Enemy to Beauty" who reveals people's inner ugliness—he "sees only Hyde" instead of Jekyll. This mocks both the poor quality of passport photos and photographers' grim, harsh lighting style. **"Polyglot"** jokes about a man who learned multiple languages (German, Polish, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, Romanian, Swedish, Portuguese) simply by reading medicine bottle instructions from his aunt's addiction to patent medicines—a comment on both the era's dubious over-the-counter remedies and linguistic absurdity. **"Small Change"** presents a flirtation gag about a "gold digger"—a woman pursuing wealthy men. The right column promotes **Life's Camps for Needy Children**, a charitable initiative sending underprivileged Lower East Side children to country camps for eighteen days of health, fresh air, and care—contrasting sharply with urban tenement conditions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“To Hold, as ’Twere...”’ AM Eternal Enemy to Beauty Nothing delights me more than to shatter a lover's illusions as to his idol’s loveliness. Show me a man handsome, kindly, godlike of aspect and I will reveal to you a sorry, vicious, deformed thing. I know that all men harbor in their hearts criminal lusts and evil bents that are mirrored plain if one but seek them. What is held fair I instinctively nize as foul. Beneath the surface gladness of each optimist I behold lurking the bitter despair of the pessimist. I look at Jekyll—but I sce only Hyde. . I am not the Evil One. I am a passport photographer. . Beutel. “DIDIA SEE THAT DAME SMILE AT ME?” “YEA. SHE MUST BE A STRANGER IN TOWN.” Polyglot [MAGINE my surprise when Phil answered the shopkeeper in per- fect Portuguese. “Why, Phil! tonishment. “I I exclaimed in as- didn't. know you spoke Portuguese. When and how did you learn?’ “Oh, it’s friend. “Any one can learn. I also speak German, Polish, Spanish, He- brew, Italian, Rus: Rumanian and Swedish. You Aunt Matilda is a patent medicine addict and I study the sheets of instruc- easy,” protested my see, my tions.” Small Change \ URIE isn’t s Waspa: Yes, she’s just a silvers digger. Cora's sure a piker, She: He: Paris! sav She: o1—non't worry. HOW'S CHANCES TO TAKE ME TO PARIS TO-MORROW MORNING? WHAT MAKES you VLL BRING ALONG MY OWN SANDWICHES, THINK Lire’s Camps for Needy Children Spellbound ! HREE rousing cheers! The season's first non-stop flight from the slums to something very near heaven has been accomplished. In other words— Lire’s two glorious Camps for the ity-weary little de of New York’s Lower East Si open once again, and the advance guard from the tenements—four hundred strong—are this very day sampling the almost unbelievable joys of country and camp life. Forgotten for a while are the evil- smelling streets and houses, the teeming, scorching the squalid days and 1 hteen lovely days these under- privileged little boys and girls will sleep in. airy dormitories and big tents; for eighteen days they will play in wide meadows, safe waters and along shady roads. For eighteen days their undernourished _ little bodies will know the wonder of scientific care and health-building food and exercise. Their timid hearts, also, and their untrained and often twisted childish minds will meet a wonderful friendship and counsellorship as thirsty fields meet a cooling shower. And it is this sort of thing that the Camps aim to accomplish in so brief a time that it is all little short of a miracle. Each child’s vacation at one of 's Camps lasts, as you know, ighteen days, when done, are very like iteen minutes. But wonders are ved. ‘That is why you so gen- erously support this work. ‘That is why your purses and hearts spill so much is to be over and you rush to mail us a check, a y cost to yourselves— continue this stupendous ve happiness and health to these little fellow creatures. And after the eighteen ¢ over, the little boy or the little girl goes back to the city and thé next pallid little army of four hundred country-hungry youngsters comes to us. So it goes on, from now until September. (Please turn to page 28) comicbooks.com