Life, 1929-02-15 · page 20 of 44
Life — February 15, 1929 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine's "Life at Home" column presents brief, sardonic news items mocking 1920s American society and Prohibition-era absurdities. **Key Targets:** The satire focuses on Prohibition's failures and contradictions. MIT students ship "frozen alcoholic drinks" to circumvent the law; a jury candidate claims ignorance of Prohibition itself. A drunk driver kills a child, and the columnist pointedly asks why blame falls on the driver rather than "the men who made the Prohibition law"—directly criticizing the legislation itself. **Other Social Satire:** The column mocks New York's crime (the unsolved Rothstein murder, petty theft), incompetent government (police commissioner wanting jaywalking laws), and absurd bureaucrats (a minister running for coroner with five unrelated occupations). **Tone:** Throughout, the humor is darkly cynical—using deadpan commentary ("Don't rub it in") to critique both lawbreakers and lawmakers. The column suggests Prohibition created worse problems than it solved, reflecting *Life*'s skeptical stance toward this controversial policy.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
One of the big achievements of the po- lice department under Grover Whalen, who was put in to solve the Rothstein murder. NEW YORK — George Fisher, 29, chorus man of 101 West 1ogth Street, was given a suspended sentence and placed on probation by the Justices of Special Ses- sions following his plea of guilty to petty larceny. He was arrested for stealing two dozen tooth brushes from the Neve Drug store, 2720 Broadway. aL WASHINGTON—James de Lasos of this city, on being questioned for jury service, declared that he had never heard of the prohibition law. In fact, he didn't even know it was sick. IL CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—D. H. Francis, senior at Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology, is going to ship frozen alcoholic drinks throughout the country. He con- tends that the law forbids only liquid intoxicants. Which shows the advantage of a college education. JL NEW YORK CITY—Police Commis- sioner Grover Whalen wants a law by which he can arrest jay walkers. How about attempted suicide? L WASHINGTON—Dr. Austin H. Clark, of the U. S$. National Museum, has announced a new theory which holds that life, instead of coming into being through gradual evolution, has evolved from one major form to another through a series of jumps. And the pedestrian maintains his the same way. AL NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J.—A course in ice-cream making is offered by the Col- lege of Agriculture of Rutgers. Probably the student gets a very low degree. WASHINGTON—President Coolidge asks Senate for $5,000 for purchase of portrait of himself, since it is customary to have portrait of outgoing president in White House. We will make a bet it won't be a speaking likeness. LL NEW YORK—One out of every 225 persons in New York State is crazy, ac- cording to Homer Folks, secretary of the State Charities Aid Association of New York. We know it. Don't rub it in. LL WESTFIELD, Mass. — Albert Lum- ley, absent minded Amherst College pro- fessor, paid fines totalling $135 here be- cause he forgot to register and insure his automobile and license. Next he'll probably take the car up to bed and lock his wife in the garage. LL NEW YORK — The Rev. Dr. John Roach Straton dislikes what he terms Mayor Walker's “flapper style of admin- istration.” From his pulpit he suggested that the Mayor resign in favor of Mrs. | Ruth Pratt, who has been elected to Con- gress. And we suggest that Straton retire in favor of Texas Guinan. JL BURLINGTON, N. J.—Rev. W. P. Young has announced his candidacy for |coroner. In addition to being a minister, he is a blacksmith, glass sign manufac- | turer, gas station owner, insurance agent |and crack harmonica player. aL CHICAGO—Mrs. Sylvia Mirotz’s hus- band refused to kiss her when she re- turned from an extended vacation. Investi- gating, Mrs. Mirotz found he had di- vorced her and remarried. 47d you should have seen her face. to obtain a. driver’s| HUNTINGTON, L. I—J. J. Miller, prominent member of Freeport, L. 1, Elks Club, sentenced to serve from 3 to 6 years in Sing Sing for running down and killing a 14 year old boy. Miller was intoxicated at the time. George M. Levy, Miller's counsel, asked for leniency. He stated that those who permitted Miller to drive away from the Elks Club shared the blame for the accident. And why not the men who made the Prohibition law? SL CAMDEN, N. J.—Mrs. Louis Baldi- grini sold her husband to Mrs. Mary Mirne for $400. When Louis heard about it he became annoyed and had both women arrested. LL BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Mrs. E. J. Shotts’ baby could talk as well as the average child of 5 or 6 at 7 months old. The first words it uttered were, “Eat, jeat.” Yes, it’s a girl. aL COLUMBUS, Ohio — Mrs, Jessie E. Walsh, of Columbus, has sued her hus band for divorce, claiming he placed empty whisky bottles on the lawn to humiliate her. ° AL CLEVELAND—Business was extreme- ly dull for the manslaughter squad, local papers report, while Cleveland was ob serving Motor Courtesy Week. There were no fatalities, and only six serious acc dents. Next week: Business as usual. iL MIAMI, Florida—Rosalie Billie, Semi- nole Indian girl, is exiled for six months from her tribe for wearing a one-piece bathing suit. The medicine men exiled |her for imitating white girls. Which is | reason enough. LL CHICAGO—Thirty-five Illinois legix lators are summoned to appear before a grand jury to explain why their names were on the payrolls of the sanitary dis trict of Chicago. They were just helping \in the clean-up. \ comicbooks.com