Life, 1919-12-04 · page 45 of 80
Life — December 4, 1919 — page 45: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two contrasting social commentaries. The main illustration depicts an elegant couple at what appears to be a formal social gathering, with the caption joking about inviting taciturn people to fill conversational gaps at social events—a light satire on upper-class dinner party etiquette. Below are two paired columns: **"Human Nature"** sarcastically catalogs evidence of human dishonesty: the need for security measures (bonded companies, wire-netted charity kettles, burglar alarms, safety catches) and the gap between "Lost" and "Found" columns in newspapers—implying people rarely return found items. It mocks the gap between Christian ideals (the Seventh Commandment against stealing) and actual behavior. **"The Other Side"** presents political commentary: a soap-box agitator criticizes government work as slavery, while a heckler counters that lazy people under union "walking delegates'" pressure are equally foolish. This satirizes labor movement rhetoric and debates about worker autonomy versus compulsion. Together, the page contrasts polite social hypocrisy with working-class political disagreement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“VES, THEY'RE THE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO CAN'T PLAY BRIDGE AND DON'T TALK.” “ PUT ME BETWEEN THEM, WILL you?” Human Nature EVIDENCE of its fundamental honesty: Bonding com- panies, safe deposit vaults, wire netting over the Christmas contribution kettles, safety catches on scarf pins, burglar alarms, the disparity between the Lost Column and the Found Column, trolley car inspectors, the Seventh Commandment The Other Side Goae-Bonr AGITATOR who works under I tell you, friends, the man government compulsion is a slave! Voice iN THE AvDIENCE And the man who loafs un- der walking delegates’ compulsion is a fool work. I'm going to comicbooks.com