Life, 1916-09-28 · page 15 of 41
Life — September 28, 1916 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The cartoon at the bottom left depicts an elephant speaking to a small figure, asking "HEY, FLATFACE! CAN I BORROW YOUR SPRINKLER WHEN YOU GET THROUGH?" This is a humorous illustration playing on size contrast and anthropomorphization. The elephant, an enormous animal, is casually asking a tiny person to borrow their garden sprinkler—treating it as an ordinary neighborly request despite the absurd scale difference. The surrounding text includes two pieces: "On Approval" (a satirical story about a woman shopping for mansions) and "What We Need Not Know" (a philosophical essay about learning). The elephant cartoon appears designed as light comic relief amid these longer satirical pieces, typical of Life's format mixing visual and written humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Wey, FLATFACE! CAN 1 BORROW YOUR SPRINKLER WHEN YoU GT THROUGH?” What We Need Not Know OW much time and trouble we could save if we could avoid successfully all of the things that we ought to know! The thing that we ought to know is invariably something which gives us no pleasure in learning. We think we ought to acquire it as a duty. But there are other ways in which we can do our duty better. And then nine times out of ten, when we have Icarned this dubious thing, the strong probability is that it will never do us any good. Think of all the things you have learned because you thought you ought to, and of how little use they are to you! The really useful thing which steps in at the right moment and tides us over some supreme crisis is generally something we have learned quite by accident during some odd mo- ment when we were retklessly wasting our time. 531 On Approval 'HERE was a woman who got into the habit Of going into department stores and Jewelers’ shops and other similar places Where women love to spend their time— She got into the habit, I repeat, Of going into these places and having Things sent home on approval. No one could stop her from doing this, The shops all let her, and her husband's pleadings Became less and less until finally he threw Up his hands in despair and maintained An everlasting silence. One day she died and went to heaven, And she was met at the gate By St. Peter, Gabriel and a select coterie OF other celestial functionaries, who said to her, “Madam, we want to please you. you kindly, Therefore, take your place on yonder vacant Lot, and we will instruct Our local real estate agent to make up a selection Of the best mansions and send them over For your inspection. It's no trouble. We Aim to please. Choose your mansion and then Send a call for all the others to be Returned,” Then the woman tossed her head And remarked: “ That is all very well; but I'd rather go and look over those man- sions In the places where they are Exhibited. Otherwise I should be cheated out of a Regular shopping tour. Let me, there- fore, first Make the rounds,” Then all the big angels, Peter, Gabriel and the others, bowed obsequi- ously And said: “Sure!” and one of them touched a but- ton, and the woman Shot down and down and Down until she disappeared utterly and completely. And St. Peter, turning to Gabriel, Remarked: “She little knew, did she, that She also was levitated here On approval!” Will including St. comicbooks.com