Life, 1927-08-04 · page 17 of 40
Life — August 4, 1927 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine (page 15) contains three distinct pieces: 1. **"Turtle and Snail"** — A poem by Arthur Guiterman addressing Vacuna (Roman goddess of leisure) and Sloth, advocating rest and idleness over industriousness. The accompanying sketch shows children and a dog at play. 2. **"Playing Store"** and **"Competition Breeds Contempt"** — Humorous dialogues. "Playing Store" shows children role-playing commerce; "Competition Breeds Contempt" depicts train passengers discussing business dealings, satirizing commercial culture. 3. **"Dirt Cheap"** — A cartoon of a figure reading tabloid newspapers (visible mastheads include what appears to be sensationalist publications), mocking cheap journalism and popular taste for lowbrow media. The page overall satirizes American consumer culture, commercial competitiveness, and mass-market entertainment, contrasting these with idealized leisure and innocence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Turtle and Snail V ACUNA, patroness of all vaca tions, do Sloth Divinity of Endolence ‘To you VL sacritice, with grave liba tions, A Turtle, both ora Snail, or maybe No,—let myrtle poppy ine substitute a crown of With wreaths of seporitic Por that unhurried Snail and drowsy Turtle Who haven't done us ever uny harm, Sweet relict of the Golden Age of Saturn, Fair Ge Jant’s request ‘That he may brictly cease pattern diligence, rest! Jess, hear your post to be a of ind take a little Waft me ravel flowing threads of tfar from stirring folk whe The life! oI do not ask or travel; want to idle, and I] merely dream bask. from stress and toil, am the Upon a would doze. ! such emote daisies fain velvet sward 1 Revolving delicious words and. phrases As “balmy slumber, “repose The Karly Bird is pillars, Beaver's after cater The building dams with sticks and such; But fuzzy worms, and grubs and ind millers And sticks do not intrigue overmuch moths me I cnvy not the Bee who robs the flowers, ‘The Ant whose industry adorns n tale; Vacuna, grant te me the peace that dowers Your lazy Turtle moral Snail! Arthur Guiterman Playing Store He: virty how MUci aw Youn BEANS? THOUSIND DOLLARS. “armen?” yes “ALL RIGHT. GIVE ME \ vime’s WORTH Competition Breeds Contempt Scene: A Club Car JOERST PASSENGER: business up in your How's k of the Not bad. Yo get out and hustle for it, though. You have to keep going, but T can't kieks last week [ landed Kittle order f up in Lake City. It te salesmanship to put it over You se Srconp Passencen have to a nice ne people k some real if I say it. DIRT CHEAP the Clift Harbor, Twenty Miles Farther put it « Bat. say, time I You Miles Farther Phe Srconp Passencen gave mi Now put over a real all the hi Norn: Did you that fellow that just went out ¢ ovie actor, Deliver hams; all they talk Passencrn if the will back me up and Spen Easy Reading for Hot Weather Si irs a cowboy suit ind a cow Is the No. Who is the What is he He is running Can he Wateh doing run in that suit hin T. L. comicbooks.com