Life, 1928-09-14 · page 25 of 40
Life — September 14, 1928 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces typical of 1920s American humor: **"Checking Up"** mocks California and Florida tourism, suggesting visitors verify they're not in heaven by checking real estate prices—implying the paradise-like scenery masks expensive, ordinary land. **"Progress of Prohibition Enforcement"** catalogs the absurd contradictions of Prohibition enforcement under the WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union). It contrasts religious groups' moral crusades against alcohol with widespread corruption: $25 million daily in speakeasy graft, $1 million monthly liquor smuggling from Canada, and minor offenders fined while politicians debate the issue. The piece satirizes Prohibition's failure despite aggressive enforcement. **The cartoon** depicts a farmer telling a politician that whichever party provides "the most relief" gets farm votes—referencing Depression-era agricultural hardship and farm subsidies becoming political currency. **Other brief gags** mock greeting-card sentimentality and early "talking picture" technology failures, when synchronization problems required sound engineers to improvise noises behind the screen.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Checking Up Tuere is a very real danger that any an visiting either California or Provida for the first time, and beholding the beauty of scenery and of climate, may te led to believe he is in paradise. In order to make sure you are not ac- tually in heaven, the following sugges- tions are cheerfully offered: Pinch yourself. Ask some passerby to pinch you. (Not a policeman.) Rub your eyes. Kick your right leg with your lefe. Blink and rub your eyes alternately. Ask the price of one of those small vacant lots. Lysle Tomerlin. Progress of Prohibition Enforcement Tut W. C. T. U. of North Carolina plans to defeat rum-running by prayer, and the Rev. John Roach Straton finds whiskey sold in his own hotel; both Al Smith and the Cahristian Herald say the Prohibition issue is a moral issue, and the New York Evening Post finds $25,000,000 a day is paid for speakeasy graft throughout the nation; a man in Brooklyn is fined $50.00 for breaking a pint bottle of whiskey in the street, and pocket flasks are sold in all ten-cent stores; all visitors to the Ile de France are slapped on the hip by dry in- spectors, and the Province of Ontario estimates that $1,000,000 worth of liquor is exported across the Detroit River every month; Senator Edwards says Prohibition is the biggest political issue, while Wil- liam B. Vare, a Wet, supports Hoover, and Josephus Daniels, a Dry, supports Smith. W. W. Scote. The Greeting Card Author Phones His Girl ey 6rdae FS ilortiman “Hetto, my dear, I'm far away but) «yes, sir, the party that gives us the most relief is going to get the vote of us farmers.” thinking of you every day. Your lips, your eyes aglow with love, I swear by all the stars above, will ever be before me too until I journey back to you. So sittin’ in my hotel room alone with heaps and heaps of gloom I figured that I'd swiftl send a message to you, loving friend. Though miles and miles keep us apart, forever, darling, in my heart the image of you I do see—oh, can you say the same to me? “So, here's a great big cargo of love, for, dearest, there's not an embargo on love, and love can be sent and received, dear. Oh, sweet is the lovely emotion of love, and so I am sending an ocean of love, for I have been lonely and grieved, dear—with just a thought on Mother's Day. “Just weepin’ a little and sighin’ a litle and feelin’ a little bit blue; and yearain’ a little and burnin’ a little your wonderfu! image to view. And thinkin’ a little and blinkin’ a little so lonely and alone; by spendin’ a little and talkin’ a little I got you on the phone—" AL. Cuicaco Man (entering store): I want to buy a good desk-set revolver. THE VOICE THAT FAILED Movie THeater Evectrictan (running up to manager): Come quick, sir! The Vitatone has gone haywire and I can't find what's wrong. Manacer: Well, it’s up to you, my boy. You've got to get behind that screen and make a noise like Clara Bow. Tue Professor was more than or- dinarily absent-minded last evening. He dropped his dyspepsia tablet in a pay tele- phone and swallowed the nickel, comicbooks.com