Life, 1919-07-03 · page 47 of 52
Life — July 3, 1919 — page 47: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical article presents a fictional British military officer (Major Hawkflight, stationed in Siberia during WWI) complaining that Americans butcher the English language. The humor relies on British stereotypes—the officer himself uses affected British expressions ("wot, wot," "by Jove," "old chap," "rawther") while claiming Americans speak incomprehensibly. His rambling, repetitive speech ironically demonstrates that *British* English can be just as confusing and verbose. The implied joke: both groups speak English badly in different ways, but the British officer is too oblivious to recognize his own linguistic peculiarities. The article likely reflects actual WWI-era tensions between American and British forces, mocking British condescension toward American troops. The page also contains period advertisements (Resinol Soap, Cuesta-Rey cigars, horseshoe nails), typical of Life magazine's format.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Are You a Horse Owner? Doyou ride oF drive a horse? Then don’t forget that horse nails have established = peal wide ccostation for safety and strenath. Yoneed then on your horses. Askfor”” The (CHECKED “brand. The world’s best at a fair \WEAD the cheapest regardless of quality. {HE CAPEWELL HORSENAIL CO. A Giddy Jumble AStenographic Report of the Friendly Proiest of Major Hawkflight, D.S.O., of H. I. M. Hampshire Regiment, BEF, Siberia, Against the Liberties Taken with the English Language by Americans. UT now sce here, dear old chap, don't you think it’s a bit thick all that sort of thing for the to claim that they speak English, y know, wot, wot? Why, by you know, in a manner of speaking Jove, old fellow, really, now, | must say that some of the beast- ly words the Americans use and the that they, oh, haw, lop their beastly perfectly giddy you know, just ga words together, what I mean to say, you know, wot, wot? Here, chap, by Jove, you know, we British awn't tumble to you Americans hawf the time; ‘pon my soul, by Jove, dear old chappie, what I mean to say, I give you my word, you Americans jolly well now, wait a mo’, dear old might be clacking away in Persian for all of us, haw, haw, wot, wot? No offense, old thing, ch? not, ‘course not, brothers in arms and all that sort of blooming patter, wot, wot; but, really, you know, what T mean is, how are we to know what is "Course meant when, awfter having made a go at spoofing an American, the blighter stares at one and says roughly, “ Where does one get that stuff?" What I mean to say, you know, does the blighter wangle such beastly phrases? I fancy jolly few would know to what the blighter referred, ch, wot, wot? I rawther fancy not, oh, rawther! What I mean to say, how is one to know what stuff the old thing is re ferring to, ch? chap, I'd jolly well know, because I'm where Mind you, dear old “Outdoors” and The Skin: The keen exhilaration of the Summer Outdoors has its physical opposites—it promotes the fine, free flowing of the blood, even while it endangers the smoothness, the natural beauty of the skin to wind and sun. The complement to the exer- cise of The Sports Woman is the constant use of Resinol Soap. The blemishes on the delicate skin will be mitigated and the complexion improved, as you commence its beneficial use. If the skin is parched and Soap, accompanied by an explanatory book and overcome complexion troubles.” Jb Address, Dept. A-71, RESINOL, Baltimore, Md. Exclusive Havano Cigar MADE IN BOND uv OUARANTEE READ THE WHITE STAMP ON CACH BOX— STANDS “Cuesta-Rey, burned from exposure to the sun, Soap will prove soothing and cc Resinol Soap tends to prevent the spread of facial flaws, and to the world of The §; delight of life so enhanced by purity of color and of feature. I weren't such a ldn’t my eye, old thing, student, 1 w the bli giddy know but poking into my I wangled my bit of an income or that Inet dash of h I've hid away Oh, by Jove, old that in my dig + wot, wot? thing, I was forgetting Scotch, and all that sort of rot! how about a bit of a peg, ech, wot, wot? Oh, raw ! Kenneth L, Roberts comicbooks.com