Life, 1912-08-01 · page 25 of 40
Life — August 1, 1912 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**The Image ("Master and Man"):** A dramatic scene showing two men in formal evening wear in what appears to be a dark, shadowy interior. The caption references a book promoting "civilization through service" and uses religious metaphor—a "prophet" who descended into "hell and risen again." This likely promotes a moral or self-help book popular in the era. **"Mortgage Makes the Motor Go":** A cartoon car labeled with the mortgage concept, satirizing how debt drives consumerism and the automobile industry's growth in the 1920s. **"Life's Black List of Slang Words":** A humorous editorial attacking contemporary slang terms (Beat it! Flossy! Peeved! Classy!) as corrupting language. The piece proposes criminalization for under-21s, reflecting generational anxiety about youth culture and linguistic "degradation"—a recurring early-20th-century complaint about modern speech. The final quip ("The more you think of it, the more you need the doctor") suggests these linguistic trends are mentally taxing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- = ——— ——_—_—$—$_ $$ $$$ $$$ ———— MASTER of the growing gospel of civilization through service. The book combines the intrinsic interest and the abso- lute convincingness of what is called a “human docu- ment,” with the intangible yet awakening influence of a message from a prophet—the kind of prophet who, having descended into hell and risen again, is able both to tell us the facts and feelings that make up the inferno and to point confidently and convertingly toward the blessed opening of a way out. J. BLK. MORTGAGE MAKES THE MOTOR GO AND MAN Life’s Black List of Slang Words E present herewith a list of slang words. The use of any of these words ought to be made a penal offense, punishment to be a term of imprisonment. No slang words ought to be used by any respectable American citizen under twenty-one years of age; after that time, given a certain amount of experience and discrimination, a judicious use of slang may be permissible. This list is by no means complete, but it is believed to comprehend the worst offenders. We shall be glad to receive additions from our readers: Beat it! Fussed. Flossy. Speedy. Peeved Old Top. Sure! Peachy. Classy Nutty. It’s a cinch. Getting your goat What do you know about that? HE more you think of it, the more you need the doctor. comicbooks.com