Life, 1927-12-22 · page 24 of 36
Life — December 22, 1927 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon:** A desperate romantic threatens suicide-by-traffic if rejected—a common melodramatic trope of early 20th-century romance, satirized here as absurdly overwrought. **Main Article:** A parody of a political speech by a small-town Republican women's club, mocking overwrought, affected oratory. The garbled phonetic spelling ("TAYDEERZ anduh jentull-menn") ridicules an affected, exaggerated speaking style. The speech praises Lincoln Seeburrlap, apparently a local politician, for patriotic service. This satirizes provincial political theater and self-important local figures who invoke Civil War heroes to justify contemporary positions. The humor targets both the pretentious delivery and the generic patriotic flattery of small-town Republican gatherings. **"Speed Test" Cartoon:** A husband claims his car travels "three hundred billboards an hour"—joking that the car is so slow, one can read all the roadside advertisements passing by. This satirizes both slow driving and the proliferation of highway billboards in early automobile-era America.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Ladies’ Republican Circle of Camphor, III., Dedicates Desperate Lover: If you won't marry me I'll...walk right out into the traffic! a Tablet (Mrs. Maude Evilynn Pratt, Madame President, Speaking) “TAYDEERZ anduh jentull-menn wy thisss gra-a-n-ayte asss- embleh — laydeez awy thee Ree- pubbb-licunn Sir-kull anduh gessstsss—it iz my doooteh, anduh I may say azz well, my gratti-fi-cay- to pllace uppon thisss moddesst tt a feeoo awv Gardz luvleh flowwuzz, anduh too harrt-fellt: wurrrds inn onnuh awy wun awv thee moste lyunn-harrted staytss-munn, wun awvy thee moste sellfless pay-tree-otts awy olll tyme Thisss moddesst tabblett—farr, farr moddesst faw thee duzzurtss awy himm hooze deeeedz it cawmem- murrates—iz thee work tie hands. say a fecoo tooo awy arrtiss- It iz thee giffft awv luv- ving anduh dee-voted harrts. tenduh blah-ssumz that I pllace up- pon it are thee prodduct awy Heeumm hooo guides ouwul gla-a-a- Theze 1-aw-riuss Ree-public frawm try- umph too try-umph. They thare-fore pece—kyooll—yulleh fit- ting faw thiss purpusss, beecauz thee bolde staytss-munn hoom wee are gathudd here to onnuh, heee tooo iz helping too guide ouwuh mag, niffissnt Mand vietreh too vietreh. ... Doubtless, yoo awll ree- membuh thee bluddeh daze awy thee Grayte Wa-a-aw....Hoo was it thatt badd uss keeep ouwuh currage Hoo was it thatt cried v Thunduh, ‘No Merr- Ennummizz awv Sivv- ill-ey-e-zayshun!’...Hooo butt) Lin- kun Sece Burrlap, thee Ree-pubb- liccunn Sennetuh frawm thiss disss- trict? (Uproarious applause.) ... Newvuh haz hee failed hiz cunntreh frawm str-r-ong inn voiss 4 sch too thee inn tyme awv neced. Nevvuh haz hee turrnd hiz fayee frawm dane- juhh.... wenn thee Redd Handuh awy Boll-shee—v hoo it thatt turrned grannit fayce twawd it and uss, was zzm huvvud ubbuv hiz i, “Phusss far shalll yee cumm anduh no-o-o-o farthuh.’. . Hoo was it? Eggen, furrends anduh cumm—pay —triuttss, it was Linkun Seee Burr- lap! (Wild thee — pay-shuntss — awv weeuth thee wizz-dumm awv shing-tunn, weeuth thee thee sellf —eefacing sye-lunts applause.) ...Weeuth Linkun, Ww moddessteh, aw- awy thee gurrate Calll-vin Coooooo-lidge, awy ouwuh w% carr applause.) say-vyuh riteh, hee tic ed on! have prawss-per- (Fran- askd heeum too say a feeoo wurrds to-day, Hee iz here with uss in purrr-sunn! Oh, my furrends, yoo doonott know, yoo cannott know how it fillz my harrt, how it soowelllz my burressst, too bee here on thee same plat-fomm Ker RRiFie FoLLow: r aE a gooY~\ wrt 0 with this wunn—dufl staytssmunn! -I will not tresspuss longer on your time. 1 willl turrn mine ad- miring mine eeeeguh ears twawd thee man hoom wee declight too onnuh, ouwuh bulll-wukk Libb — but-teh...bulll-wukk a wv thee Reepubb-liccunn — Parteh... purrhapsss theee gurr-aytessst staytss-munn, with thee excep-shun awv ouwuh beeluvved Perrezzidunnt, eyes, awy that ouwuh cunntreh haz evvul perroe-de ...Sennetuh Lin- kun See Burrrlappp!" (Pandemonium.) Heman Fay, Jr. Speed Test GHE: How fast can your car go? He: Oh, about three hundred billboards an hour. | paves / LEFT TO A THE \ RIGHT , is / UP Radio Realism comicbooks.com