Life, 1918-11-07 · page 30 of 36
Life — November 7, 1918 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several brief satirical humor pieces typical of Life magazine's "Our Foolish Contemporaries" section, plus period advertisements. **The humor pieces** are short jokes about everyday situations: a stranger seeking a criminal lawyer in a small town (where the locals can't prove guilt against their own lawyer); a customer complaining a purchased parrot won't talk; a diner bothered by fresh paint smell; and a woman whose parrot uses "dreadful language" acquired from her husband's car troubles. **The advertisements** include vintage products (Cuticura skin cream, Cortez cigars, Stromberg carburetors) positioned as solutions to modern life's inconveniences. **The "Profiteer" cartoon** (bottom right) appears to reference wartime profiteering—a "pretty little thing from the Kaiser," likely satirizing merchants who exploited patriotic sentiment or war conditions for profit. The page reflects early-20th-century middle-class anxieties: social embarrassment, consumer purchases, and wartime opportunism. The humor relies on wordplay and situational irony rather than visual caricature.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
FOOLISH Luck Was With Him A stranger arrived one day in a busy provincial town and gazed around uncer- tainly. Presently he spotted a man who appeared to be a native. “Excuse me, sir,” he said, “but are you a resident of this town? “I am,” rejoined the other. “ What can I do for you?” “Tam seeking a criminal lawyer,” re- plied the stranger. “I wonder if you could direct me to one?” “T believe I can,” answered the native, but, mind you, we've never actually proved it against him."—Tit-Bits. No Chance “You sold my husband a parrot, did you not?” Yes, ma'am, I did.” “And you told him ‘t could talk, did you not?” “T certainly told him that, madar “Well, we've had it a week, and he hasn't spoken a word yet “T remember 4 ly, mavam, telling your husband the parrot would talk if you gave him a chance.” —Yonkers Statesman, “Waltte fe called, sniffing the air suspiciously, “never mind that order now; I can never eat when there's a smell of fresh paint around.” " 3 ait few minutes, sir, i c 4% m two young ladies will be going.”—Tit-Bits. PI ove in the a Huon a Oliver al h Caesar, Court, The c est in th Attila’s Marcus torneys had thr cream 0 [All droggists: Soap 2, Ointment 5 2, Talcum 3. [Sample each free of “Caticars, Dept. B, Boston.”* 23 (IGARS “MADE AT KEY WEST— es New Stromberg carburetor’s infallibly perfect operation carries any car to the greatest lengths of gos economy and cash savings. Holds wogld’s economy. second en proctically all makes Request wil bring full panicuber. State name, year and model of your Stromberg eae Devices Co. New w STROMBERG Does in | wo CARBURETOR An Acquired Tongue Mrs. Muci: What dreadful language your parrot uses! Mrs. Normixc: Yes, my bought the bird one day and brought i home in his car, and I have always pected that he had engine trouble duri the journey.—Pearson’s Weekly Bess: That's Mrs. Grabbit great war worker, Bol Indeed! Bess: Yes; she's married four ¢ ughters to soldiers.—Tit-Bits HETHER it is your gran mother, your fit or your very best girl, 3 appreciates a year's subseriptio as a Christmas present, Profiteer: A PRETTY LITTLE THING FROX THE KAISER comicbooks.com