Life, 1929-04-05 · page 24 of 56
Life — April 5, 1929 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Mrs. Pep's Diary** (top left) is a humorous travel narrative satirizing American roadside culture. The author mocks the contradiction between America's natural beauty and its commercial tackiness—specifically the jarring juxtaposition of religious warning signs ("Prepare to meet thy God") alongside cheap food advertisements ("Chicken Dinner-Candy, 5c"). One character jokingly proposes founding a secret society to boycott roadside advertising to restore landscape beauty. This reflects 1920s-era concerns about commercialism despoiling the American countryside. **"Delirious Honeymooner"** (top right) is a single-panel cartoon showing a couple at Niagara Falls with the caption playing on the location's clichéd association with honeymoons. **"Some types of European bandits"** (bottom) depicts four caricatured figures in period costume, likely satirizing European criminal or political stereotypes, though context is unclear without additional information. **"To a Possible Soul Mate"** (right) is a humorous poem about romantic frustration and social awkwardness, ending with the quip "Beggars can't be cigarette choosers."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Maren by times at the Healy Baird Southern Pines, thanking Leonard God they did stay us last night from proceeding to Raleigh, and off early to the village to buy the postcards with which I do love to afflict my friends on my travels, albeit I have discovered that T must buy them all alike, or my struggle is too tense deciding which to send to whom. Then back to browse in Gus’ library, marking that he is the only man I know who has a passion both for horses and for first editions, and, albeit I have vowed never to go through another stable, even though [ be visiting royalty, I did sit rapt over the Hardys, with their attached letters from the author, Jeannette confiding the while that a new dining-room table meant more in her life than an original of “Jude, the Obscure”. Then north- ward through the pleasant afternoon, thinking how Ludwig of Bavaria would have enjoyed motoring in the South over such perfect roads with nobody else, apparently, on them, and pointing out to Sam how in no coun- try but America could the wayfarer encounter such adjacent signs as “Pre- pare to meet thy God” and “Chicken Dinner-Candy, 5c”. Whereupon Sam did announce his intention of found- ing a secret society pledged to buy nothing advertised on the roadside, ; thereby eventually restoring our land- es scapes to their original beauty. In DELIRIOUS HONEYMOON Raleigh by nightfall, stopping at an inn called The Sir Walter, albeit there were no cloaks spread over the mud- Fun among (Continued on Page 38) sports. Some types of European bandits famous—indorse : That reminds me, Myrtle— this is Niagara Falls! To a Possible Soul Mate I long to know your views on lite — On Freud, on Bergson, on Voltaire: I want to ask you questions but— I do not dare. Do you prefer a clanging street Or windy quiet on a hill? I yearn to hear your answer but— T must be still! Your preference in kinds of pic Cannot be voiced for my instruction: Because, alas, we've never had An introduction! Eileen O'Hara. Beggars can’t be cigarette choosers. comicbooks.com