Life, 1920-01-01 · page 31 of 48
Life — January 1, 1920 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **The Diary Entry ("Foster Ware")** mocks labor union activism through absurdist escalation. A worker documents repeated strikes—first for fired coworkers, then for shorter hours—that spiral into chaos. The joke peaks when the "International Brotherhood of Diary Workers" strikes, preventing him from even recording further strikes. The satire critiques both union rigidity and the endless cycle of labor disputes in 1920s America. **"The Comity of Nations"** appears to be satirical fiction (despite its "1924" date frame). It describes a fictional kidnapping of the U.S. President by Mexican students led by "Professor Francisco Villa," with ransom raised through "Kidnap Drives." This likely satirizes U.S.-Mexican diplomatic relations and American nervousness about the Mexican border during this era, mocking both the absurdity of the scenario and America's tendency to sensationalize Mexican affairs. Both pieces use exaggeration and impossibility to critique contemporary social anxieties.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Thursday—Three day-shift men fired or NONEST DAY. for beating up the foreman. Tried to WORK FOR AN get one of the day jobs myself, but HONEST DAYS union called a walkout to get the three PA’ men taken back. Friday—Three men still fired. Walk- out begins. Saturday—Walkout still on. Sunday—Ditto. Monday—Ditto. Tuesday—Broke. Had to get funds, pawned watch, Wednesday —Got job in railroad yards cleaning engines. Thursday—Good job. Hope to stick and get watch back. Friday—Home again. Order of En- gine Cleaners called strike for shorter hours. All hands quit. Saturday—Strike. Sunday—Strike. Monday—Strike. One Year Later—No use. Tried them all, and it's the same story every- where. Just one strike after another. Must get a new diary to-morrow. Next Day—Too late. International Brotherhood of Diary Workers on strike. No more diaries. It wasn’t worth while, anyway. Foster Ware, Progress ITH the progress of anti-booze, anti-tobacco, anti-dancing and Yy - - ase anti-everything movements the sinful Ym (f ay “ a \merican public must make the most / LDR, last sinful pleasure—the making New Year resolutions destined to be broken. By about 1925 all our reso- BLUSHES THE GOAT THAT BLOOMED IN THE lutions will be ready-made. SPRING,TRA,LA THINGS THAT ARE GONE FOR GOOD The Comity of Nations N 1924 the President of the United States while travel- ing along the Arizona-Mexican border line was kid- napped by a crowd of merry Mexican students led by Professor Francisco Villa. The Secretary of State politely requested of one of the Mexican governments that he be released. Professor Villa was asked by one of the governments to give up the distinguished gentleman. But Professor Villa and his students were obdurate. They needed four or five million dollars ransom money. It was raised in a series of “ Kidnap Drives” from the people themselves, thus avoiding all difficulty with our “neighbor republic.” THE LATEST —_— THE Psvcmic sIx—srinit CONTROL; NO RUNNING ITH a sugar famine, a coal shortage and a dry law, EXPENSE even the “ flu” refuses to pay us a second visit. comicbooks.com