Life, 1919-05-01 · page 17 of 44
Life — May 1, 1919 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon:** An anthropomorphized alcohol bottle ("His Majesty") presides over imprisoned figures in what appears to be a jail cell. The bottle gloats about punishing inmates, suggesting this is Prohibition-era satire. The cartoon depicts alcohol personified as a tyrannical ruler, likely mocking either Prohibition's supporters (who saw alcohol as an enemy to be jailed) or its enforcers. The labeled bottles (beer, whiskey) and prisoners suggest the absurdity of criminalizing alcohol consumption. **Bottom Section:** Two brief humor pieces criticize overused language ("eighty years young," "acid test") and joke about airplanes enabling marital deception—a man entering his home via second-story window to avoid his wife's notice after a late night out. This reflects early aviation novelty and period gender dynamics regarding marriage and accountability. The page satirizes contemporary language clichés and social anxieties around Prohibition and domestic life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
] | His Majesty: aw! it’s NOW JUST AS 1 WOULD HAVE IT! WAIT AND SEE WHAT I'LL GIVE THEM . IN YOUR STEAD! Don't Do It HE headline that called John Burroughs “ eighty-two years young” was well meant, but lacked ori ity, No doubt every writer must call somebody eighty years a young at least once. It was a fine thing to say the first H time, good the next ten times, fair the first few hundred { times, but it begins to get a little stale. H So do “acid test,” “psychological moment,” and, of | course, “common or garden.” | | Every little while language has to be delivered from too trite phrases. | One Advantage Cc S<AWFORD: When the airplane comes into general use it should add much to the joy of living. Gayroy: That’s so. When a fellow arrives home late at night he should be able to get into the second-story 5 window without waking his wife. “WILLIAM, DID YOU BRING AN UMBRELLA?”