Life, 1927-09-01 · page 27 of 40
Life — September 1, 1927 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate humorous pieces satirizing American life: **"Window Box"** is a sentimental poem about growing morning glories, mocking overwrought nature writing and domestic sentimentality popular in the era. **"The Professor Again"** jokes about an absent-minded academic who automatically types "Come In!" whenever his typewriter bell rings—satire of professorial distraction and mechanical habit. **"Intelligence Test"** mocks Americans' exaggerated genealogical claims. It presents statistics about people claiming Mayflower ancestry or being present at Lincoln's assassination—far exceeding historical possibility. The joke exposes how Americans invent or embellish family histories. The Eddie Rickenbacker reference (a famous WWI pilot) adds to the absurdity of inflated personal credentials. **"Ugh!"** shows a mother instructing her son to rinse his mouth with gin after swearing—dark humor about Prohibition-era parenting, implying gin is a common household item despite being illegal. All pieces satirize American vanity, pretension, and domestic absurdity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Window Box Ures my somewhat sunny ledge With the sky, orning partial glimpses of lory took the pledge grow and bloom—and not to dic I put the seed to earth in May With ivy plants in pretty layers; I watered it each sultry day And sprinkled it with little pray ers In June a verdant shoot appeared: I gave it trellises to climb on, And toward the sky it curled veered, and And height was what it spent its time on. The loud days were and dust. the leaves, And Was oon waving And insects gnawed the stem = at night And Death hung bat-like caves, from the Defying all, it burst in bloom Just as it reached the upper story, And while the filled room The folks upstairs got all the 3. B. WV. morning my glory The Professor Again QVERY time the bell on his type ~ writer tinkles the absent-minded Professor writes “Come In! ADVERTISERS ADD TO THE REVENUD OF PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAY Intelligence Test (One of the following statements is correct. Which is it?) believe all claim their the Mayflower, . the first crossing on that ves Powe the people who ¥ ancestors ¢ ec oover on persons made sel Over four thousand men now liv ing. least hundred women, claim to have the youngest drummer boy in Civil War. 15,901 the theatre not to mention at two been the persons say they were in when Lincoln was shot “I've GOT MY DOUBTS ABOUT Tis Ligvor.”” Only 28, garage mec wn that the Rickenbacker swear up and 1 Eddic eral Pershing’s chauffe It is estimated that over 1 will have RINGSIDE next “Battle of the Cer people it the Bill Sy Ugh! to small son MOTHER you've said at awful again! Go upstairs and wa your mouth with gin. “Let's TRY IT ON SICK ANYWAY.” ERS. hanies yo suc as Gen over there 410,000 seats Willie word sh out comicbooks.com