Do you have a case of the Mondays, Mizzou?

Every now and then while I am conducting research for a new exhibition I come across something that is too fun not to share. These photographs come from an article titled, "How to Wake Up," published in the November 1948 issue of ShowMe, the student operated campus humor magazine published from the 1920s through the 1960s. In the article, the author provides amusing advice to help MU students rouse themselves from bed in the morning. The difficulty of the task is stressed throughout the text. The author states: "Every morning 11,428 students at M.U. make some sort of attempt to get up. The aggregate will-power, muscle power and brain-power going into this daily project is incalculable." While I don't recommend all of the author's humorous suggestions, perhaps a good chuckle can get you going in the morning.



"COFFEE is the elixir of the bourgeoisie. It precipitates the tars of beverages, dissolves the scums of braunschweigers, and dispels the fogs of revelry. If you're a socialite, give it a try. Twelve cups at wake-up time will keep you from snoozing through your morning lecture. Another cup will keep you in bed for a week."



"ALARMS are found to be effective for most students. Those who find them useless are: (1) dull-heads who sleep through them, and (2) geniuses who outwit them. Dull-heads are hopeless, but cases of clock-outwitters (above) have been cured by a few extra hours of partying each night. This befogs a usually crafty mind, leaving the student helpless."



"DON'T GO TO BED and you won't have to worry about getting up on time. It's easy to line up an all-night party any evening during Homecoming season."

You can also enjoy flipping through the pages of this comical time capsule yourself by visiting the University Archives website. With the help of MU Publications and Ellis Library Special Collections the Archives was able to digitize the entire run of ShowMe.

View ShowMe magazine


Authored by Sarah Horne, PhD Student in Art History and Archaeology