Life, 1919-07-10 · page 41 of 50
Life — July 10, 1919 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct pieces of satirical content: **"The Motrola" (top left):** A straightforward advertisement for an early phonograph device with attached horn speaker—not satirical content. **"Canine Modesty":** A humorous anecdote about Dis-Donc, a Belgian police dog and military mascot decorated for WWI heroism. The satire mocks the disconnect between courage in combat and vanity about public recognition. The dog, having witnessed soldiers' embarrassment at medal ceremonies, flees rather than accept a decoration—suggesting that true soldiers/heroes are reluctant to parade their honors. This gently satirizes both military ceremony and human pride. **"A Princely Proletarian":** A brief joke about class reversal: a wealthy contractor, having paid his laborers, must borrow money from one of them—suggesting the working man is paradoxically wealthier or more financially responsible than his boss. This is straightforward social satire about economic inequality and worker dignity. The page also contains period advertisements (Waterman pens, Bellans antacid) unrelated to the editorial content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Motrola ‘Wied any pate eee phowcernph, elearcaly. fy attached without marring woodwork pose Biveln operation Sanoly touch, « utes to, wad ( phono- | ‘ ) Write us today of ask your | dealer. JONES-MOTROLA, Inc. New York Canine Modesty Ds DONC is a Belgian police dog, the mascot of the Fourteenth In- fantry. Twenty-seventh Division. He has done well by his regiment. He has been convicted of extraordinary heroism un- der fire. He may own to the heroism, even to the conviction. He balks at the penalty he New York Women’s League for als sentenced him to decoration. master broke the news to him, rushed his coat, polished his collar, and Je him ready for the ce ding 10 the best military tradition, For all that, Dis-done could not stick it | The very morning of the great day he was among those missing. The League had reckoned without its hero. It may be that he had discovered a emony particularly enticing mess of garbage in the neighborhood, but his master, who nderstands him, makes the excuse of fright Without doubt Dis-done witnessed more than one decoration cere- mony at the front, and knows that any soldier who has earned honors bravely will tell you what a coward one is when it comes to accepting them, He must have observed the blushing sheepishness of more than one hero at the supreme moment of the pinning on, So he stood from under. His master had perf to serve as his proxy. He himself pre fers decorations privately administered. A Princely Proletarian HE contractor had just finished paying off his laborers Now,” he inquired, with a timid, ngratiating air, “will one of you gen- Hlemen kindly lend me the price of a Jump in here, boss,” called a big ! 11 > ‘ \ TU alrive yah 1 ‘ Ly 6 BELLANS Hot water Sure Relief B3ELL-ANS | FOR INDIGESTION of the famil