Life — June 15, 1916 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 1114 The main cartoon, titled "What the College Grad Heard in Seeking a Job," depicts an employer interrogating a job applicant with absurdly trivial questions: "Can you sweep floors thoroughly?" "Can you wash windows nicely?" "Did you ever lick stamps?" and "Do you smoke cigarettes, drink liquor, or gamble?" **The satire:** The cartoon mocks the disconnect between college education and actual job requirements in the early 20th century. Despite graduating, the applicant faces menial, unskilled questions—suggesting either that college degrees held little practical value for employment, or that employers deliberately undervalued educated workers by offering only low-wage positions. The accompanying article "On Bringing Up Children" discusses parenting philosophy, while "New Knowledges Recommended" reviews progressive educator Dr. Abraham Flexner's curriculum reform ideas.