Life, 1919-03-13 · page 16 of 42
Life — March 13, 1919 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces reflecting early 20th-century American attitudes: **"Points of View"** presents a debate between an Optimist and Pessimist about happiness—a common philosophical joke format of the era, ending with the moral that attitude determines contentment. **"To Prove His Salesmanship"** mocks a job applicant who claims universal sales experience, suggesting exaggerated confidence in poorly qualified workers. **"Utilizing Even That"** jokes about meat-packing efficiency (likely referencing Upton Sinclair's *The Jungle* era concerns), now supposedly canning pig squeals as phonograph records—absurdist humor about waste reduction. **"A Strike"** satirizes a worker named Wilton who refuses a raise, claiming his wife spends all their money and would be stressed by having nothing left to budget—dark humor about financial anxiety and marital dynamics among the working poor. The accompanying dog cartoon humorously depicts wagging as injury, playing on the phrase "wagged it off." The overall tone reflects pre-WWI American humor: satirizing class anxiety, marriage, salesmanship, and industrial capitalism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Points of View HE Optimist said to the Pessimist’s wife “ How do you live with a Gloom all your life? Is it bad : Pessimist’s wife to the Optimist said Cheer, I would surely be dead, Or go mad!” ntailin The Pessimist “How do you 1 your life? Are you glad?” Now the Opti And she said s Wife was a Pessimist too, To Prove His Salesmanship SPECTIVE SALESMAN (¢ man) sales-wanayer I'm answerin Saues-Manacex: Had much experience? Prospective SaesMan sold most everything in my time Saes-Mana Then try sel Utilizing Even That ILLIS: They < say that the packers wasted nothing of < except the squeal. Gin 1 understand now that they are even canning the squeal and putting it on the market in the form of grand a phonograph records HE experienced woman knows that she can always make a man do what he wants to do. “WHY HAVE YOU YOUR TAIL BANDAGED, RAGS THE CONSUMER'S I “A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou beside me, hanging in th ] “SINCE MASTER CAME HOME LAST WEEK I'VE ALMOST WAGGED 1T OFF.” wilderness” A Strike HE other day the boss stopped at Wilton’s desk and said: “T hav: decided to raise your salary again \iter this you'll get twenty dollars month more.” “Please don’t do that!” poor Wilton. * You don’t realize wh: it would mean to us. exclaimed The pay I ge now is a burden to me and my wife both. Every week the poor womai racks her brain trying to think up new ways of futurity, spending our income i She is all the time worrying for fear that perhaps month after next will find us with everything paid for and not a deficit anywhere in’ sight The strain of Leave my as it is evolving ways of spending any ad tional amount would be almost sure to kill the poor woman,” HY take sleeping-powders when you can be an idealist? comicbooks.com