Life, 1929-05-17 · page 18 of 52
Life — May 17, 1929 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines philosophical quotes ("Little Rambles With Serious Thinkers") with two illustrated stories. **Top illustration**: A figure reads on a bench beneath bare trees and a distant train, captioned "Hm! I knew someone was reading over my shoulder!"—a joke about intrusive privacy. **Bottom illustration and story**: Depicts "Mary Anne, Aged 7," a narrative about a misbehaving child. The cartoon shows Mary Anne surrounded by adults (possibly at a family gathering or holiday event), relating an incident where she used profanity, prompting her to run away threatening never to return. The caption references a 1926 Christmas card from "Aunt Jane," suggesting this reflects period anxieties about childhood behavior and parental discipline during the 1920s-30s. Both pieces humorously address social embarrassment and awkward moments.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
16 Little Rambles With Serious Thinkers Sometimes, I fancy that the United States will one day become the center of the British Empire. —St. John Ervine. Nobody amounts to anything if they’ve had a happy childhood and youth. —lJoseph Hergesheimer. Many of my best friends are far- mers. —Sherwood Anderson. To my way of thinking, one of the soundest reasons for a man’s head be- ing placed where it is—on top—is be- cause it can see better “up there.” —George Matthew Adams. An abundance of IT will make one the life of the party. —Clara Bow. The unclothed body should be beautiful in all its proportions. —Bernarr Macfadden. In spite of what you hear to the con- trary, the prohibition movement in the United States never was a failure and never can be a failure. —Pussyfoot Johnson. The average husband is approxi- mately as romantic to his wife as a cow. —George Jean Nathan. A rene “Hml | knew someone was reading over my shoulder!” Mary Anne, Aged 7 Mary Anne, aged seven, was a nice little girl, but she would swear occa- sionally. One morning her mother in- formed her that the next time she used a naughty word she would have to leave home. The very next day Mary Anne dropped her favorite doll and gave vent to a muttered “Damn!” —and without a word her mother packed her tiny suit case and pointed to the door. Mary Anne walked slowly out of the house and sat down on the steps. In a few minutes a neighbor passed and remarked, pleasantly, “Good morn- ing dear. How is mother?” Mary Anne looked up with a frown and ne “Oh, Mrs. Van Blah, what a beautiful prizel And such a quaint little card with replied, “How the hell should I know? it—Merry Xmas from Aunt Jane, 1926.” T don’t live here any more.’ comicbooks.com