Life, 1918-07-18 · page 25 of 36
Life — July 18, 1918 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate humorous pieces from *Life* magazine: **"Unreliable" (top):** A dialogue joke about an unreliable alarm clock—someone claims they tried using the sun but had to stop because it kept waking them up earlier than desired. The humor relies on personifying the sun as an undependable servant. **"Precautions" (bottom):** A story about a naive cavalry recruit named Gidley who's confused by a horse's girth (belly strap). The instructor jokes that horses have a "keen sense of humor" and laugh so hard they might "bust their sides," so the straps keep them from literally splitting open. The accompanying illustration shows cavalry soldiers training with an apparently uncooperative horse blocking their path, with one soldier wishing the dog would move. Both pieces employ gentle, absurdist humor typical of early 20th-century American satire—playing on military inexperience and the gap between expectations and reality. The humor is lighthearted rather than pointed social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
UNRELIABLE “WHAT PO YOU USE TO WAKE YOU UP IN THE MORNI “VE BEEN TRYING THE SUN, BUT HAD TO GIVE HIM UP, HE KEPT GETTIN: Precautions OUNG Gidley was a raw recruit, just enrolled in a crack cavalry regiment and paying his first visit to the riding school. “Here is your horse,” said the in- Structor. Gidley advanced, took hold of the bridle gingerly and examined the mount carefully. “What's it got this strap around it for?” he asked, pointing to the girth. “Well,” explained the instructor, “you see, all our horses have a keen sense of humor, and as they sometimes have sudden fits of laughter when they see the recruits, we put them bands around ’em to keep ’em from bustin’ their sides.” “Ho's the ocean te “Oh, kind of peris EARLIER.” “GOSH, FELLOWS, 1 WISI THAT OG WOULD GET OUT OF THE WAY!