Life, 1918-01-03 · page 36 of 40
Life — January 3, 1918 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces typical of Life's "Our Foolish Contemporaries" column, mocking contemporary attitudes and behaviors. **"Playing Safe"** ridicules excessive caution: a woman buying hat feathers anxiously asks if they'll trouble the Bird Protection Society. The milliner's reassurance—that the feathers came from an owl, which eats mice rather than birds—represents absurd logic masquerading as expertise. **"Another Atrocity"** uses dark humor about World War I: a child viewing the armless Venus de Milo sculpture at a museum responds to her mother's earlier discussion of German atrocities in Belgium by exclaiming the Germans destroyed this "poor Belgian woman"—confusing classical art with contemporary war crimes. **"We All Must Advertise"** quotes a businessman asserting that if you won't promote your own goods, competitors will do it for you—satirizing commercial pressure and self-promotion culture. The remaining anecdotes mock various social absurdities: inexperienced servants, soldiers readjusting to civilian life, domestic mishaps. These represent Life's typical light satirical approach to middle-class American foibles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
36 UR” FOOLISH CONTEMPO ARIES Playing Safe A lady recently. sel milliner’s cting a hat at a ously : sked, cauti “Is there anything about these feathers that might bring me the Bird Protection S: into trouble with ciety? “Oh, no, mada the milliner. did they not belo ed the lady. to some * persis “Well, madam,” returned the milliner, | asantly, “these feathers are the | feathers of a howl: and the howl, you ein’ as ‘ow fond he is of fa cat than a b know, mice “THE MANOR” AMERICA~AY IN We All Must Advertise Fletcher said at the ire of one of those ex de ax chub, sort of tailors wh their ay wares int nd of modern business proves an won't advertise his xoods Another Atrocity GMA will step in and do it for him.” Liule Ruth, who had been reading | i f —Dd t Free Press about the German atrocities in Belgium, | ALS went with her mother to the Museum of ¥ Arts. ue “Ob, mother,” she cried, standing in front of Venus de Milo, “look what the mans did to this poor Belgian wom- Orange Peel, Looks That Way “ Those South American revolutions— “We climate.” A New Idea in Binders Untii 1 now LIFE has never been able to sup- its readers with an cntircly satisfactory der for the convenient and safe preserva- tion of the copies of the journal. The new invention expands or contracts at will, and makes a convenient volume to handle as well as being very simple in operation. used to attribute them to the “After considering things in Russia we'll have to find some other cause.” —Kansas City Journal. It is handsomely made, the outside being black ackram with cover design in gilt, and ade to hold a full year's copies of LIFE. “Tus is a special flour for making | 7 A TRAMP STEAM flannel cakes. The young housewife was trying to " “‘Tuat returned soldicr cert xo back to his trade as “Why? “No, pear wise. Does it make "she good cakes? His writing hand gon it his pen e lent flannel cakes, mum.” Will they shrink? sville Courier-J “T see you have a new cook.” “You say sooth.” “Ts she experienced ? “TL surmise so, She started the first and then asking for y by coming late, the afternoon off.” —Louisville Conrier-Joarnal. Sent post free to any address in the United States on receipt of $1.50 HE highest province of art is to decorate us, which is the funda- mental reason for the generous sprink- ling of artistic illustrations through the useful pages of Lise. LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY 17 West Thirty-first Street, New York City Taoist aoa ache, shat na fer eve -pansnge ted etcates fared” Sen fet e. E ‘Edwards Mf 336-386 Culvert St. Cincinnati! have neigh come great you i A He v black “D carry Cross that i strive need The spotte back “D evang it alv altar night: make Book: busing hunds just 1 Thaw which minut tures tered entert carry seven idle r But A ple as he lence “y most who source fleetin carry People