Life, 1909-01-21 · page 19 of 28
Life — January 21, 1909 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two brief satirical pieces about early 20th-century American social pretension and financial mismanagement. The top cartoon mocks newlyweds: a bride questions her husband's laughter when a bachelor friend hoped they'd be "as happy as he has been"—the implication being that marriage makes people unhappy. The longer "Modern" section satirizes bank corruption and embezzlement. When a bank examiner arrives unannounced, staff frantically explain delays: the president needs time to retrieve collateral he'd loaned out so his wife could buy pearls to outdo rivals; the cashier must borrow money from competitors to repay funds he'd borrowed to buy his son a racing car. The joke exposes how bank officials routinely misappropriated depositor funds for personal luxuries while maintaining respectable facades. The closing caption suggests foolish financial decisions run in families. The satire targets both wealthy excess and institutional corruption during the pre-Depression banking era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Bride: wuy Dip YOU LAUGH, DEAREST, WHEN MR, BINK: HOTEL LIFE Deacon Upstate: yerusatem! WHEN AM I GOIN’ TO GIT A CHANCE TO SEE THE Towx?"* “ WELL-ER-YOU SEE, BINKS IS A BACHELOR.” Modern HE modern bank was about to be examined. “Sorry to keep you waiting,’” said the assistant janitor to the examiner, “but the President has to have a few days to call in some collateral that he had to use to negotiate a loan in order that his wife could give a string of pearls this year and beat some one else.’” “Don’t mention it,’’ said the bank examiner. “I am in no immediate hurry. Still, perhaps I could sce the cashier?” “You must give him a little time,”” said the assistant janitor, in a gently re- proachful tone. “You must remember that you sent no notice that you were coming, and of course he will have to hustle around and get from some other bank the money he had to borrow re- cently to buy his boy a racing car. It was only a paltry twenty thousand, but— SAID HE MOPED WE'D BE AS HAPPY AS HE HAS BE! I might go in and sit with the paying tellers a little.”” “Wouldn't have you them for the world! are only paying them twelve dollars a week now, and associate with You know we out ten or as they have large families to support, they are really shabby, and not fit company for a gentleman, “How about the office runner? "* “He would be all right if he were here, but he’s down at the race track Come around early next week and we'll have things fixed up so that you can send in a report to Washington that will be something really worth while. You'll have to excuse me now, as I must dust out the safe deposit keep the securities left here by our cus- tomers for safe keeping.” boxes where we EARLY every family picks the wrong member for the fool. comicbooks.com