Life, 1913-12-11 · page 29 of 40
Life — December 11, 1913 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes the notoriously slow telephone service of the era. The joke depicts insects with such short lifespans that a caller's grandfather has died waiting for a telephone connection to go through. The humor relies on the contrast between the brevity of an insect's life and the glacial pace of early telephone operators connecting calls. A mayfly (or similar short-lived insect) requesting a number dies before the operator completes the connection; generations later, his descendant answers on his behalf. This reflects genuine contemporary frustration with telephone infrastructure—operators manually connected each call, creating bottlenecks and delays that were frequent enough to become a cultural complaint. The exaggeration to absurdist lengths (multiple generations of insects) amplifies the social criticism of an inadequate communication system.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
What Shakespeare Says of Us “GWEET love! sweet lines! sweet Life!” (Two Gentlemen of Verona, i, 3.) “Life is paralleled even with the stroke and line of his great justice.” (Measure for Measure, iv, 2.) “Life shall sweetly creep into his study of imagination.” (Much Ado About Nothing, iv, 1.) “Society, saith the text, is the happiness of Life.” (Love’s Labor's Lost, iv, 2.) “Hath not old custom made this Life more sweet Than that of painted pomp?” (As You Like It, ii, 1.) “This Life is most jolly.” (As You Like It, ii, 7.) “In respect of itself, it is a good Life.” (As You Like It, iii, 2.) “Life, look you it fits my humour well.” (As You Like It, iii, 2.) “For Life I prize it.” (Winter's Tale, iii, 2.) “Life, my joy, my food, my all the world!” (King John, iii, 4.) “Life shall prove it true.” = (Richard I1., i, 1.) netrng “Life looks through, and will break fe Lik out.” (Henry IV., iv, 4.) “Life every man holds dear.” (Troilus and Cressida, v, 3.) “Life was to be trusted.” (Macbeth, ii, 3.) “Life and wits at once.” (King Lear, iv, 7.) To the Point A lawyer residing in Washington, and noted for his laconic style of expression, sent the following terse and witty note to a refractory client who would not comply with his reiterated demands for the payment of his bill : Sin: If you pay the inclosed, you will oblige me. If you do not I shall oblige you.—Lippincott’s. A Merry Christmas lor that Boy of Yours! THE BOYS” MAGAZINE 53° WALTER CAMP ts the finest boys’ pub! Get This Splendid Magazine F Tor YOUR Bo} Boy! Bim ne end of Loreen ‘and inetractic mE Dorr kugeeaees I meveo-stands, (0 cents @ copy The Kodak Gift Case A quality and richness that will appeal to the most fastidious. CoNTAINING: Vest Pocket Kodak, with Kodak Anastigmat lens. Hand Carrying Case, of imported satin finish leather in a shade of soft brown that is in perfect harmony with the deep blue of the silk lined container. It solves that Christmas Problem. Fifteen Dollars at your Kodak Dealers. EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY. Rocugsrer, N.Y. THE TELEPHONE IN INSECTVILLE Central; 18 THAT YOU, MR. DAYFLY? HERE'S YOUR NUMBER, In Telephone Booth: No, THIS ISN'T DAYFLY. HE PASSED AWAY WAITING FOR THAT NUMBER. I'M HIS GRANDSON, comicbooks.com