Life, 1918-01-31 · page 8 of 40
Life — January 31, 1918 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon:** "Why Mother Couldn't Find Her Safety-Pins" The sketch depicts a military recruitment scene where an officer interviews a man of "pleasing address" aged forty-two. The joke is visual: behind them stands a line of Boy Scouts in uniform, apparently the source of the missing safety-pins. The satire targets both the Boy Scout movement (popular early 20th century) and military recruitment, suggesting the scouts' uniforms or gear consume domestic resources. **Accompanying Story:** "But He Meant Well, Anyway" Documents a farcical job interview where the applicant claims zero practical skills (cannot drive, sew, milk a cow, etc.) but boasts of making "a million in Wall Street." The satire mocks wealthy financiers as useless despite their money—a critique of capitalism and the disconnect between Wall Street success and actual competence or social contribution. The portrait captioned "US" appears patriotic decoration.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ary ys) IRSH AVE I —— 7 eas © hoe ee WHY MOTHER COULDN'T FIND HER SAFETY-PINS But He Meant Well, Anyway 'HE next applicant at the recruiting station at army headquarters was a medium-sized man of pleasing ad- dress. He was questioned as follows: “Age?” “ Forty-two.” “ Passed the physical examination?" “Yes.” “What can you do? “T don't quite understand you.” “Well, you must have some special- ty, haven’t you?” “T can't think of any.” “Can you keep books?" “No, sir.” “Can you drive a car?” “No, sir. Mine has always been driven for me.” “Do you understand telegraphy, typewriting, knitting, shorthand?” Noy sir, “Can you put anything together-—a clock, two gas pipes, fix a barn door, repair anything?” “No, sir.” “Can you sew on a button?” “No, sir.” “Can you milk a cow, run a plow, plant seed, cut down a tree, dig a hole in the ground?” “Can you think of a single practical thing within the entire range of human activity that you are capable of?” “No, sir.” “Then what in the world have you been doing to maintain yourself in all these years?” “T made a million in Wall Street.” Yt a x aA eK % wi