Life — November 23, 1916 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Letters of a Japanese Schoolboy: The Togo Currency System" This satirical piece mocks Japanese financial practices through a fictional schoolboy's letters. The illustration shows a caricatured Japanese figure in formal dress, jumping enthusiastically. The satire targets what appears to be Japanese economic mismanagement, using the "schoolboy" device to present critiques as naive observations. References include: - **Hon. Bingo**: a fictional Japanese official representing Treasury/government - **U.S. Treasury/Finance System**: held up as superior to Japanese methods - **Department stores and credit schemes**: criticized as inherently dishonest The humor works by having the "innocent" schoolboy expose contradictions in Japanese economic claims—particularly that their system somehow builds character while U.S. methods don't. The piece satirizes both Japanese pretensions and American diplomatic relations with Japan during this era.