Life, 1928-08-23 · page 10 of 36
Life — August 23, 1928 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts two gentlemen in a library examining books, with one telling the other: "Ah! I see your library is in the original French." The host replies, "Well, I'll be damned!" The joke satirizes pretentiousness about owning books in foreign languages—specifically French editions—as a status symbol of sophistication. The implication is that the guest assumes the host's French volumes signal intellectual refinement, when the host himself may not even read French or intentionally collected them for appearance rather than substance. The page also includes various witty quotations about education, character, and personal conduct, plus humor columns like "Just a Couple of Sport Writers" featuring casual banter about lunch and celebrity gossip, and "Utter Exhaustion" with brief comedic anecdotes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
{ \ \ f , \ Guest: Aha! I see your library is in the original French. Host: Well, I'll be damned! Francis Jenkins and his radio motion pictures. I like the story of Mr. Jenkins and his inventions. It is a Greek drama. Mr. Jenkins was one of the inventors of the motion picture projector. For his part in perfecting the machine he received a measly $2,500. All these years he has been waiting for his revenge. He has been working nights to try to find something that would give the movies a sock in the eye. And now he’s hit it. Mr. Jenkins has demonstrated radio movies in his home in Washington, D. C. As “Bugs” Baer once said, the big problem of the future will be how to keep covered wagons out of the dining-room. Incidentally, all the contrivances neces- sary for constructing a television receivin, set are now on the market. What you will receive after the set is all made, I do not know. But I cheerfully recommend this new form of indoor sport to anyone who wants cither to become famous or go insane. Agnes Smith. Little Rambles with Serious Thinkers A company of young college men said to me recently, “After learning how stron; mental and moral character is inherited we boys now unconsciously learn about the families of the girls we meet.” —Albert E. Wiggam. A man’s underwear symbolizes his view of himself.—George Jean Nathan. If a man could read and know one hun- dred books, properly chosen, he would have an education.—Arthur Brisbane, Any war in history could have been stopped if, at the psychological moment, somebody had pulled a good joke. —Bruce Barton. I have no personal friends. 7 —Leon Trotzky. Wholesome necking is to be encouraged. —John B. Watson. If a person is torturing a child or robbing a man or insulting a woman all in the name of God, then his idea of God is wrong.—Dr. Frank Crane. Practically all the beautiful smiles in the world belong to homely women. —Heywood Broun. IT am not interested in what a man pro- duces so long as he produces something. —George Matthew Adams. Just a Couple of Sport Writers “Hetto, Joe. Understand you had lunch with Babe Ruth.” “Yeah. The Big Bambino and | dined together.” “How is the King of Swat today?” “Oh, George Herman Ruth seemed all right.” “You known the Patriarch of the Pill Pasters very long?” “Yeah. The Sultan of Sock and I are old friends.” “Well, tell the mighty Mogul of Maul hello for me the next time you see him.” “Sure. I'll remember you to the Colos- sus of Clout.” Cont Es UTTER EXHAUSTION Patsy: How many times were you kissed last night? Procy: I don’t know. I got so tired | could hardly keep my eyes closed. A Scorcx aviator looped-the-loop and dropped his pocketbook but he reached the ground first. comicbooks.com