Life, 1918-12-05 · page 30 of 76
Life — December 5, 1918 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces typical of early 20th-century American humor: **Top cartoon** (by Will Hacer): Shows a woman in a kitchen reading a letter, illustrating the caption about letters helping with work. The humor is gentle domestic comedy. **Main article**: "On the Return of a Book Lent to a Friend" is mock-biblical satire, written in faux-religious language ("GIVE humble and hearty thanks," "fatted morocco"). It humorously exaggerates the perils books face when lent—being damaged by children, used as ashtrays, teething rings for dogs—treating the book's safe return as a miraculous resurrection worthy of celebration. The final line jokes that the author will now lend out *their own* borrowed books, suggesting reciprocal irresponsibility. **Bottom cartoon**: A golf joke playing on the double meaning of "talk"—Mildred doesn't chatter during play, only when *you're* playing (implying you're so bad it's entertaining). The page satirizes the anxiety of lending personal possessions and the casual carelessness of borrowers—social friction recognizable across eras.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Christmas Life P. S—I'M GLAD 1 KNOW HOW MY LETTERS HELP YOU IN YOUR WORK,—JIM On the Return ofa Book Lent to a Friend “LD)OES Mildred talk when she plays golf?” “No, only when you play.” GIVE humble and hearty thanks for the safe return of this book, which having endured the perils of my friend's hookease, and the bookcases of my friend’s friends, now returns to me in reasonably good condition. GIVE humble and hearty thanks that my friend did not see fit to give this book to his infant as a plaything, nor use it as an ash-tray for his burning cigar, nor as a teething ring for his mastiff. HEN I lent this hook I doomed it as lost: I was re- signed to the bitterness of the long parting: I’ never thought to look upon its pages again. UT now that my book is come back to me, I rejoice and am exceeding glad! Bring hither the fatted morocco and let us rebind the volume and set it on the shelf of honor: for this my book was lent, and is returned again. tiaamatteasi scar Be pr NTLY, therefore, I may return some of the books “GEE! MOM, WHY WEREN'T YOU AND PA MARRIED that I myself have borrowed. ra SOONER?" comicbooks.com