Life, 1920-03-04 · page 55 of 78
Life — March 4, 1920 — page 55: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains three distinct satirical pieces mocking self-improvement culture and American materialism: **"A Double Cross"** cartoon jokes about the Red Cross. A woman invites a man to join; he claims he's already a member. She subtly suggests he could "lead a double life" for this charitable occasion—satirizing people who avoid charitable giving while pretending moral virtue. **"Diary of a Perfect Man"** mocks self-help courses and mail-order instruction. A man takes expensive courses to become "perfect," achieving business success through charm alone. Yet he can't manage his own family, who force him to live separately—exposing the hollow pretense of purchased perfection and dominance. **"Day They Celebrated"** ridicules small-town materialism. Hickville celebrates Zeke Terwilliger returning from New York with new shoes and a watch but nearly broke—treating mere consumer goods and a wealthy man's financial foolishness as heroic achievement. All three pieces target 1920s American obsessions: charitable performance, self-improvement consumerism, and wealth worship.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
li \ | i i | i" A DOUBLE CROSS She: won't you JOIN THE REY CkUSs? He: MY DEAR YOUNG LADY, I'M ALREADY A MEMBER! She (subtly): BUT pON’'T YOU THINK THIS IS ONE OCCASION WHEN IT's PERMISSIGLE FOR YOU TO LEAD A DOUBLE LiFe? 417 Diary of a Perfect Man l HAVE just completed the last of my courses—that of becoming a convincing talker—and it almost good to be true that 1am now a free man. Having a perfect will, and a perfect skill in judging character, I shall 7 d to procure a twenty-five- ar job, no trouble. I am now manager of a large business. | do nothing all day but look pleasant and exhibit, my extraordinary qualifica tons. ‘ It took me two years to complete all the courses on the instal ment plan, but it was certainly worth it, 1 doubled up ot uple of them It was rather a strain to tak: the memory course and the character-read- ing course at the same time, but for- tunately L had previously developed my will, sol gotthrough withouttrouble. ... I am having some difficulty at home, but this, of course, is only temporary. As soon as I am able to put my mind on my family, I will get them to bend to my will. At present, however, until | can take some advertised course which teaches a perfect man how to xet on with others, I am living apart from them—at their request. Day They Celebrated HERE was a roar as of a mighty ocean beating upon the shores of the universe. Whistles rent the air, sirens shrieked, bells clanged, and the voices of many men joined in a mighty halle- lnjah, Then the Hickville Double Brass Band struck up the strains of “ Hail! the Conquering Hero Comes,” and the head of the procession moved into Main Street. “What's up?” inquired a bewildered visitor, “Why,” they told him, “Zeke Terwil- liger, the richest man in three counties, has jest come back from a three-day stay in New York City with a pair of new shoes, his gold watch and chain and fifty-seven cents left over!” In New York ILLIS: So you have lived cight years at the same address, Guus: Yes; three years in the buildings being torn down and five years in the buildings being put up. WOMAN without curiosity is as rare as a peach without a stone— and equally desirable. comicbooks.com