Life, 1910-12-01 · page 53 of 108
Life — December 1, 1910 — page 53: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains two satirical pieces mocking early-20th-century American consumer culture and social conventions. **Top Cartoon**: Shows a man in a cave examining a worn-out toy trumpet, captioned that this Christmas present has "been going the rounds for twelve years." The joke: cheap gifts circulate endlessly among poor families rather than being discarded, revealing the economic struggles hidden beneath holiday cheer. **"Why Not Semiannually?"**: An essay by Ellis O. Jones satirizes rigid holiday tradition. He proposes celebrating Christmas twice yearly—once in summer—so different tradesmen (icemen, coal men, screen-door salesmen) could all benefit from seasonal gift-giving. The humor lies in exposing how commercialized Christmas had become: the "solution" to tradition is simply more consumption. **"Just the Thing"**: A brief joke where a boy gives his mother a "For Transients" sign from the post office for her kitchen, implying she's an unstable housewife. Mild domestic humor typical of the era, though the insult would be considered harsh today. Together, these pieces critique both poverty and commercialism in American life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
989 AADAYS NS AW N \ WMbetepyy “WONDERFUL HOW SOME OF THESE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS TRAVEL. THIS ONE HAS BEEN GOING THE ROUNDS FOR TWELVE HRISTMAS comes but once a year, That's what we have all been taught, and it seems to be true. But why should it be true? Is it not merely another glaring instance of how a civilized nation may be ruled by a petty tradition? That Christmas should come at least twice a year is too obvious for argument. The chief trouble with Christmas is not only that we have too much of it at one time, but also that it is monotonous because it always comes at the same season of the year. It would, of course, be too violent a revolution to have Christmas once a month, but we should not forget that this is an instalment age and some form of giving presents on the dollar-down-and-dollar-a-month plan must ultimately be found. Think of the possibilities of having a Christmas in August. Santa Claus could then take in Atlantic City at the height of the season, which would improve his culture as well as his YEARS.”” Why Not Semiannually > health, We would then have an outdoor Christmas and an indoor Christmas. The iceman could participate as well as the coal man; the cotton man as well as the woollen man; the screen-door man as well as the storm-door man. Thus, in the course of a year, every varicty of tradesman would have its just participation. Among the many handsome and appropriate presents which could be selected for the mid- summer Christmas we suggest window screens, flypaper, garden hose, ice cream freezers, bathing suits, portable shower baths and mosquito salve. Ellis O. Jones. Just the Thiag ILLIE: Here's a sign I got from the post-office. Mrs. Sutmsox: Why, Willie! What do you mean? It's the sign “ For Transients.” You just take it right back. “T thought you might like to hang it up in your kitchen.””