Life, 1929-01-18 · page 17 of 44
Life — January 18, 1929 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon:** A street musician with a drum and flute explains to a spectator why he carries both instruments—when people give him money, he plays gently on the flute, but when they don't, he raises the drum's pitch to annoy them into paying. This is satire on busking tactics and how street performers use noise as coercion. **"The Letters of a Modern Father":** A father advises his son against dropping out of college, arguing that materialism in America is overstated. He suggests the son should travel to Europe, Asia, or Africa to gain perspective before deciding his path—satirizing wealthy fathers who rationalize their sons' wanderlust as self-improvement rather than idle privilege. **Bottom Cartoon:** Titled "The thrifty chiropractor modernizes his own furniture," showing a chiropractor surrounded by broken, twisted furniture in his office—visual humor suggesting his profession involves breaking things.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LONDON, Dec. 28—Major H. O. D. Seagrave has just revealed the details of his newest 1,000-horsepower car with which he hopes to shatter the speed record of 207 miles an hour. Tell that to the judge. PARIS—Pierre Fisbach, 18 year old French aviator, today arrived at Lyons after hopping off from Paris in a tiny air- plane in which he hops to fly to India. After refueling he expects to start tomor- row toward Aleppo, continuing in short hops to India, if the plane is still in good shape. M. Fisbach is full of hops. “Peppermint, me eye!” LONDON—As a thank offering for his escape in a motor car accident, Lord Beaverbrook, newspaper magnate, will dis- tribute 25,000 pounds to worthy causes. He was cut by glass when his automobile was in collision with a truck. The open season for lords will now begin. PEPING, China—The name of the ancient city of Peking has been changed by a ruling of the Nanking government's post office department. It is Peping. The younger generation is putting pep into everything. MOSCOW—Rumors that Leon Trotzky was sick and that he was to be transferred from Alma Ata to a health resort was denied by the authorities today. Jt must have been a@ couple of other fellows. = Spectator: Pardon me—but why the two instruments? Street Musician: When people give me little somethin’, I play gentle on the flute, but if they don’t gimme nothin’, I raise h——1 on the bassdrum. The Letters of a Modern Father My Dear Son: Your mother tells me you are thinking of dropping out of college and going abroad to work on your epic poem, “Futility.” She says you feel more and more the necessity of getting away from the materialism of America so you can really think. I hasten to write you that I shall be glad to maintain you in Europa Asia, or Africa for a number of years if the sojourn will make you think. Just now I am a little concerned my- self about the materialism of America. We had to close down Brickyard No. 7 be- cause there wasn’t enough materialism to keep it going. But it looks now as if ma- terialism would be back strong so I shall pay your passage. I assume that is what you meant to suggest to me when you wrote your mother about your spiritual crisis and beating your wings against the iron bars of life. Your AFFecTIONATE Fatuer. —McCready Huston. Yi ‘ The thrifty chiropractor modernizes his own furniture, comicbooks.com