Life, 1919-05-01 · page 20 of 44
Life — May 1, 1919 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Making Use of the Stars"** mocks the era's aggressive commercialization and advertising expansion. The text proposes absurdly controlling celestial bodies themselves for ads—a dystopian vision of capitalism run amok. It satirizes the belief that advertising could and should colonize every space, even the sky. The "Universe Sign Company" and its billion-dollar budget parody real advertising firms' grandiose ambitions in the early 20th century. **"Play Ball!"** (top cartoon) shows a large man's head observing children playing. The satirical caption likely references how powerful figures manipulate ordinary people, though the specific reference is unclear without fuller context. **"Expressing Himself"** jokes about a former soldier-teamster whose profanity-laden speech (represented as "mule"—donkey cursing) shocks an elderly lady. **"But Do They Ever?"** depicts introducing a fiancé to the "family skeleton"—an idiom meaning hidden family shame or scandal. The humor lies in the rhetorical question: families rarely voluntarily reveal their embarrassments.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“PLAY BALL!” Making Use of the Stars O not be surprised any morning to pick up your news- paper and read the following: “ A lease was taken out to-day upon all the stars and the space they occupy in the heavens, by the Universe Sign Company, for advertising purposes. This organization has recently been launched with a capital of three billion dol- lars, and will control sign privileges along all flying- machine routes. “ By the aid of powerful magnets, laced at just the right intervals m the sky; the stars will be so controlled that they can be moved at will, and thus made to form letters or other devices for sign purposes. “TItis the plan of the promoters to change these as often as needful, and the scheme is believed to be the most brilliant and feasible in the history of advertising. “Powerful searchlights, operated from the various planets, will add to the attractiveness of the display, and will be used to throw such pictures upon the sky as cannot be formed by the stars. “The company will operate in connection with the Cloud Sweepers’ Union, which concern is equipped with electric vacuum apparatus whereby the company’s sky will be kept free from clouds at all times, thus insuring perfect displays cach evening.” Expressing Himself [NQUISITIVE OLD LADY (to stalled motorist, a for- mer soldier-teamster): Is that French you're speaking, young man? “No, ma'am; mule.” \ HAG AY BUT DO THEY EVER? “AS MY DAUGHTER'S FIANCE, YOU MUST MEET ALL THE MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY, ALLOW ME TO PRI THE FAMILY SKELETON,” comicbooks.com