Life — April 1935 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Some of the People" / "Babe in the Wood" This page contains satirical commentary on various American institutions and figures. The left column mocks government agencies (Agriculture Department's purple potato), conventions (Oyster Raisers' Association), and the Roosevelt administration's various initiatives—particularly poking fun at the pronunciation disputes around "Roosevelt" and the Roosevelt Hotel/Fish Company. The main poem "Babe in the Wood" (by Arthur Lippmann) satirizes Senator Ruth Dew Holt of West Virginia on his 29th birthday. It mocks him as inexperienced and unfit, using extended metaphors of youth and ignorance—comparing him to Mozart and David (both young) to suggest he's too immature for Senate. The poem criticizes his silence, lack of knowledge, and inability to contribute meaningfully to serious legislative matters.