Life, 1918-08-15 · page 28 of 36
Life — August 15, 1918 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate satirical pieces reflecting WWI-era concerns: **"Too Much"**: A job interview cartoon mocking wage expectations. A young man with impressive credentials (technical degree, military-age exempt, extensive experience) asks for $250/month—only to be rejected as excessive, since some mechanics earn less. The satire targets wartime wage inflation and employers' resistance to paying qualified workers fairly despite labor shortages. **"Ode to a Setting Hen"**: A poem by Lee Wilson Dodd contrasting a hen's focused productivity with the author's procrastination and artistic paralysis. The "errant pen" and abandoned creative work appear to reference wartime disruptions to civilian life and morale. **"Unhomelike"**: A joke about Mr. Henpeck in heaven, relieved that no one orders him around—a domesticity gag playing on the henpecked husband trope common in period humor. **"Why the U-Boat Captain Quit Drinking"**: A caption accompanying a cartoon of a drowning figure, likely referencing German submarine warfare and its dangers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Artist: THIS 18 THE LAST PORTRAIT GROUP U'LL EVER UNDERTAKE, JUST AS I BEGIN, THE CHAMELEON CHANGES COLOR, SPOTS APPEAK ON THE BULLFROG, THE TADPOLE SPROUTS A FOOT, AND THE CATERPILLAR THROWS OUT A SET OF WIN Ode to a Setting Hen INCE you'll never know Why crystals grow, Why grass turns green, What stars or mushrooms mean, Or polar bears or men, O setting hen, Philosophers and scientists despise Your wise Stupidit: But as for me, I hymn your patient, fixed efficiency. Would that I might acquire Your stubbornness of purpose, O calm hen! Having a job to do, You do not tire: Unhastingly you set and see it through. But I, with errant pen, Having a job to do, a piece to write, Alas! I funk it quite, Poor, restless fool! I leave the nest, and all its eggs grow cool. Thoughts, warm and hatchable, while I'm away Turn cold and lifeless lumps of clay. It doesn’t pay, O hen, it doesn’t pay! That's all I've got to say. NFANT,"” KNOCKABOUT OF PIN 4 CHAMBRAY FOR WEEK-END ROMPERS Lee Wilson Dodd. FOR THE WELL-DRESSED MAN Too Much AGER (to applicant for posi- tion of assistant superintendent) : “Are you a technical graduate?” “Yes, sir” Above the draft age?” “Yes, sir.” “What experience have you had “Three years as draftsman, two years as assistant engineer on desig and two years as assistant superintend- ent ina large industrial plant.” “Why did you leave your last posi tion?” “Owing to the war there is no de mand for our product, and the plant has suspended business.” “Well, young man, your experience has heen right, your references are very good, and you look like a hustler I believe you'll do. What salary do you want?” “Two hundred and fifty dollars a month.” “What! Two hundred and fifty dol lars a month! We can’t pay it! Why, that is as much as some of our mechanics are getting!” Unhomelike HE late Mr. Henpeck, having ar- rived in heaven, had been checked in, and was sitting comfortably on a pale pink cloud, tuning his harp. Sud denly he paused and looked apprehen- sively around. “No,” he said, settling back to his tuning, “this is not a bit like home. I have been sitting here ten minutes, and no angel has yet asked me to move, declaring that I always sit just where she wants to sweep.” WHY THE U-BOAT CAPTAIN QUIT DRINKING Ccomicbooks.com