Life, 1917-12-27 · page 7 of 41
Life — December 27, 1917 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon depicts a domestic scene where a mistress questions a discharged worker (Chloe Johnson) about his unhappy marriage. Johnson explains he was laid off on Labor Day because he "wouldn't work." The surrounding text discusses banking and bond-keeping, suggesting satirical commentary on post-WWI economic issues. A piece titled "Wanted: Safe-Keeping for Bonds" addresses thousands buying Liberty Bonds but lacking secure storage—referencing concerns about where citizens should keep war bonds and securities. The cartoon's joke plays on "wouldn't work" as both literal unemployment and marital discord, while the accompanying financial discussion critiques economic anxieties of the era regarding bond safety and capital-labor relations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
i | Mistress: DECEMBER WEDDED TO MAY? Chloe Johnson: pendent. They ain't got no use for railroading. The fact is, they ain’t got no use for no kind of work.” “Well,” ventured Jumpupsky, “we can borrow it some money from the banks and hire somebody to run them, if the worst comes yet.” “No, we can't,” objected Sassano- vitch, “because the banks have closed up on account of the way we have treated the rotten aristocrats that run the banks. They wouldn't give us no money for nothing.” Jumpupsky waved his hands in dis- gust. “Oh, forget it, Dimitri,” he urged. “Let's go out and get a cup coffee and some linsensuppe mit frank- furters. We done enough for one day, lL assure you; and besides, I want that SO YOUR MATRIMONIAL LIFE WAS VERY HE WOULDN'T WORK UNHAPPY. you should consider making my cousin Mandel Rabinoff, the cigarette-maker, a judge of this now Supreme: Court.” “Sure,” replied Sassanovitch. As he removed his feet from the desk, the hoarse cheering of the triumphant Bol- sheviki caused the windows to rattle in their casings. “ Ain't it marvelous?” he whispered, entranced. “You certainly said a mouthful, Dimitri,” replied Falloff Jumpupsky. Kenneth L. Roberts. Wanted: Safe-Keeping for Bonds 'HOUSANDS of people are buying Liberty Bonds who own no other securities and who have no place to keep When they have surplus money them. WHAT WAS THE TROUBLE? LAN’ SAKE, NO, MAM! IT WAS LABOR DAY WEDDED TO DE DAY OB REST. they put it in the bank or the postal saving bank. But the bonds cannot be deposited as money is, but must be stored somewhere in safe-deposit. Is it not desirable to make some special, country-wide provision for safe-keeping of bonds for small in- vestors? Possibly savings banks could he induced to undertake it, or perhaps post-offices. The thought of many mil- lions of dollars’ worth of bonds lying in bureau drawers or behind something on closet shelves, or in trunks in attics is rather disquieting. “ HY don't capital and labor get together?” “Maybe it’s because the labor and capital leaders won't let them.” comicbooks.com