Life, 1914-07-30 · page 22 of 40
Life — July 30, 1914 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Imaginary Conversations"** satirizes domestic servant hiring. The dialogue presents an absurdly evasive job applicant who gives contradictory or troubling answers—claiming to adore country living while being an unreliable cook, working only from "duty," admitting to drinking, and refusing to specify arrival times. The humor lies in the employer's desperation, culminating in "Engaged!"—suggesting even this disaster of a hire gets the job. **"The Proper Thing"** criticizes military-industrial complaints. The piece mocks military experts and defense suppliers who perpetually claim insufficient government funding, regardless of actual spending. The author (E.O.J.) suggests this chronic dissatisfaction is merely tradition, urging readers not to worry about their complaints. **The cartoon** shows a massive military truck stopped by children asking what game won the ball game—a contrast between massive defense machinery and innocent civilian curiosity, likely critiquing militarization's prominence in society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Imaginary Conversations “D° you object to living in the country?” No, ma'am. I adore it.” re you a good cook?” “On Sundays. Week days I never get things twice alike.” “What wages do you want?” “Tt’s quite immaterial to me, ma’am. I only work from a sense of duty.” “Do you ever have company?” “Yes, ma'am. And I assure you, upon my word of honor, not one of them is a brother or a cousin.” “Have you a good temper?” “Fine when I'm not drunk, ma’am.” “When may I expect you?” “When you sce me, ma'am.” “Engaged!” The Proper Thing D°s anybody know of ever a time, past, present or future, in the history of this or any other country, civilized, barbaric or savage, when the military and na experts, the service journals and the suppliers of martial accoutrements were satisfied with the amount of money, however large, which the government was spending on such matters? If such there ever was, go mark it well, Put it down somewhere in a sacred book, for it is a miracle. THE MAN FROM HOME Let us not be worried, therefore, nor loose our purse-strings forsooth, when these experts revile and say all manner of evil things about the in- adequacy and inefficiency of our fight- ing machines. They are but preserv- ing the traditions of the clan. E. 0. J. “HERE, YOU YOUNG TOUGHS! WHAT DID YOU FLAG US Fot “WE WANTED TO FIND OUT WHO WON THE BALL GAME.” comicbooks.com