Life, 1919-11-20 · page 15 of 46
Life — November 20, 1919 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon compares U.S. and Germany in 1919 and 1926, showing each nation's contrasting post-WWI trajectories. The U.S. figure appears energetic and productive, while Germany's figure seems chaotic and destabilized—likely reflecting anxieties about German recovery and potential resurgence after their WWI defeat. The lower sections include satirical "Idle Words" (humorous letter closings), and "The Hake and the Tortoise" cartoon mocking Manhattan's expensive dining culture. A separate illustration depicts "How a Man Feels After Refusing a Shampoo, Face Massage, Singe, and Other Luxuries"—satirizing pressure from barbers or spa attendants to purchase expensive add-on services. The page reflects 1919 American concerns about postwar economics and consumer culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Idle Words Or, Why Do We End Our Letters as We Do? ‘OUR ob't servant””—From the victorious general, in demanding the unconditional surrender of his pros- trate adversary. “Yours, Gladys’—From the maiden who has just broken the news that she isn’t any more. “Faithfully yours”—From the nice old gentleman, declin- ing to indorse our ninety-day note. “Yours respectfully”—From the young man who has just expressed his very caustic opinion of you. “I beg to remain’—From the crook who politely notifies his bondsmen that he has jumped his bail. “Hastily”—From the man who carries the letter in his pocket two days before he mails it. Just a Thought THE American Bible Society in arranging for the nation- wide observance of Bible Sunday on November 30, announces that “literature is being prepared of an attrac- tive character for all churches and Sunday schools in the country.” Incidentally, speaking of literature for Bible Sunday, what’s the matter with the Bible? THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE ONE of the sports of Manhattan—Hunting that costs a dollar in the carte du jour. HOW A MAN FEELS AFTER RE MASSAGE, SINGE, AND OTHER LUXURIES a dish G A SHAMPOO, FACE comichooks.com