Life, 1916-03-16 · page 36 of 44
Life — March 16, 1916 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **several short humorous anecdotes** rather than political cartoons. The jokes satirize early 20th-century social stereotypes: 1. **"Safe Deposit"**: An elderly woman's absent teeth are mocked when a boy tricks her into holding walnuts while he fetches more—implying she's gullible and physically diminished. 2. **"Fertilizer Johnson"**: A Black child is named after her mother Liza and father Ferdinand, creating the unfortunate surname "Fertilizer"—humor based on racial caricature and malapropism. 3. **"Only His Watch So Far"**: A Black man visits two doctors but only notices his watch missing, implying theft or carelessness. The dialect humor reinforces period stereotypes. The page is primarily **advertising** (Havone cigarette cases, Egyptian Deities cigarettes, King George whiskey), with these brief jokes interspersed. The humor relies on physical disability, racial stereotypes, and dialect comedy—conventions considered acceptable in 1920s American magazines but reflecting deeply prejudiced attitudes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Forget-me-not of Gifts Safe Deposit An old lady, who was sitting on the porch of a hotel at Asheville, North Caro- lina, where also there were a number of youngsters, was approached by one of them with this query: Can you crack nuts?” The old lady smiled and said: “No, my dear, I can’t, I lost all my teeth years ago “Then,” said the boy, extending two hands full of walnuts, “please hold these while I go and get some more.” —Harper’s Monthly. TACALDI Makes The Perfect Cocktall, Mekey ve Highball, Try Itt MAN hates to fumble—even compartment, clean and inviting—a joy to for a cigarette. himself and a graceful compliment to his Sunday school, gave her name to the f i F friends. teacher as “Fertilizer Johnson.” Later That's why he likes the "The Havone is as easily filled as the ordi- the teacher asked the child’s mother if Havone Cigarette Case. nary cigarette case. that was right. He likes the clean, orderly, free- __ Hayone Cigarette Cases are made in Ster- “Yes, mavam, dat’s her name,” said from-mussiness that it brings to his _ ling Silver-plate, in Solid Sterling, 10K Gold the fond parent. ‘You sce, she was cigarette-smoking. and ioe Soe nee baits Maa th ined’ (ef nie ‘ ur dealer hasn't stocked up on the ne Sane f : a setae Her , No more fingered, paVONE, send us $3.50 and we will ma ther's name am Ferdinand and my name ) crushed and broken you one direst. either plaio alive, or wi jis Liza. So we nar her Fertilizer. cigarettes. In the monogram spot,or one of the all-over patterns. Boston Transcript, new Havone Case each cigar- At any rate, send us your name on a post- ette is upstanding in its own card for one of our handsome catalogues. “Tuey say," remarked the spinster HAVONE CORPORATION hoarder, “that the woman who hesitates Dept. ¢ 21-23 Maiden Lane New York is lost “Lost is not the proper word for it,” growled the fussy old bachelor at the WILL ADVANCE EXPENSES pedal extremity of the table. “ She's ex- n linct."—Indianapolis Star. d gay screldht weekly salary of 318.00 t0 aan oF woman, with Only His Watch So Far There is an old negro living in Car- rollton who was taken ill several days ago and called a physician of his race to Prescribe for him. But the old man did not secm to be getting any better, and finally a white physician was called. Soon after arriving Dr. S. felt the darky’s pulse for a moment and then examined his tongue. “Did your other doctor take your tem- perature?" he asked. “T don't know, sah,” he answered feebly. “I hadn't missed anything but my watch as yit, boss."—Old Joke Book. A ittLe colored girl, a newcomer in rm. ever Building, Philadelphia, Pa. A teaxpoontal of Abbott's Bitters with your Grape Frait makes an ileal appetizing tonic, Sample of bitters by mall, 25 cts. in stampa. C.W. Abbott € Co., Baltimore, Md. Mistress: Goodness, Bridget, where is our telephone? Brivcet: Mrs. Jones sent over, mum, askin’ for the use av it, and I sint it over, but I had the divil's own toime gittin’ it off the wall, mum.—Toledo Blade. comicbooks.com