Life, 1919-12-04 · page 43 of 80
Life — December 4, 1919 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate satirical pieces: **"Darn That Soft Coal"** (top right): A cynical joke about civic engagement. Someone receives a letter urging them to meet their congressman, but dismisses the idea—suggesting congressmen are either ineffective or unworthy of citizens' time. This reflects early 20th-century skepticism about political representation. **"Lieutenant Jones" (left): A humorous illustration showing a military officer's head exploding from a cannon atop a building, captioned as a wedding gift. This appears to be dark wartime humor, likely from WWI era, making light of military service and absence. **"To an Optimist" (center): A poem by Ida M. Fitts celebrating optimism and joy despite life's hardships, encouraging happiness over worry about money or coupon-clipping. **"Ante-Christmas Shopping" (bottom right): A domestic cartoon showing holiday shopping, with someone humorously asking for "rubber stockings that will stretch"—likely a practical joke about holiday gift-giving.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“DARN THAT SOFT COAL!” “LJERE'S a letter from some organization, urging me to sce my congressman.” “But who wants to see any congressman?” LIEUTENANT JONES DESIRED TO BE REMEMBERED AT THE WEDDING HE WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND To an Optimist IFE isn’t all trouble and sadness and fretting, It isn’t all working—oh, no; Though some real good folks have a way of forgetting. We make our own joy as we go. We could roll on a cushion of happiness—yea— Our field of delight isn’t measured by bars Why can’t we be smiling and cheerful and gay When the blue of our heaven’s all sprinkled with stars? — " haven't a text; I'm no moralist preaching The evils of doing—or not; It's ever so much more worth while to be reaching And planning and hoping a lot. And rather than have all that made Croesus gray, And losing my sleep lest a coupon I'd missed, I'd take a jong chance on the réckoning day ANTE-CHRISTMAS SHOPPING By living the joy of a real optimist YOU COT ANY RUBBER STOCKINGS THAT WILL Ida M. Fitts stReTcH ?” comicbooks.com