Life, 1929-05-10 · page 25 of 44
Life — May 10, 1929 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines humorous social commentary about turn-of-the-century New York with a historical retrospective ("Around the Town 100 Years Ago"). **Contemporary Content (top):** Satirizes young men's penny-pinching at discount ticket agencies and the revival of matrimonial (matchmaking) agencies. The joke about women wearing "oriental breeches" for beach and tea outings mocks changing fashion norms and suggests women's increasing independence. **Historical Section:** Lists amusing absurdities from circa 1820s New York: proposed temperance legislation, counterfeit coins called "Bad Beans," an aeronaut planning to launch from Castle Garden, and reformers' ridiculous claims (like Congress banning tea). The cartoon map below illustrates these activities across New York geography. **Overall Point:** Contrasts past oddities with present-day economic concerns, suggesting human follies are timeless. The satire targets both reformist excess and youthful penny-pinching—universal targets of humor across eras.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ea, boys are getting very very econom- ical... they’re to be seen nearly every night high hatting it around the cut rate agencies getting seats for the night's performances . . . the matri- monial agencies are coming to life again, there being several in town (how do you know! Well, I heard tell about it!) ... the fee is five bucks |for men and only one for the ladies ...and sister tells us that the gels are going in for trousers this summer ... she further explained that she didn't. mean by that that they were going after the boys but that they were going to wear oriental breeches for the beach, boudoir, and, My Dear, ifor tea! .. . they actually are! Around the Town 100 Years Ago There is talk of introducing a Tem- perance Act in the State Legislature land the Evening Post wants to know vhere, if the Act is passed, the coun- y's freedom will go... phoney en spots are in circulation from Boston where they are known as "Bad Beans” ... Eugene Robert- ‘on, daring Aeronaut and leading xponent of the science of aero- station, plans to hop off from Castle Garden in New York Life balloon . . . Cash sub- scribed to Yale Univer- sity in 1828 amounted to $2,505, a record it is announced here . . . “A Parallel Between the Slave Trade and Intemperance” is a new book everyone is talking about ...a record of twelve hours for the New York-Al- bany trip has been established by the S. S. Citizen... Bakewell, Page & Bakewell, glassware merchants, have received an order from the President for a complete set of glasses for White House Whoopee . . . Horse-skin mit- tens are being advertised as the newest feminine rage... “Drinking tea” says a reformer, “is an atrocity which ought to be ended by Congress”... comicbooks.com