Life, 1920-04-22 · page 15 of 44
Life — April 22, 1920 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page contains two satirical pieces: **"If Words Could Really Die"** (top) is a humorous fantasy where words are treated as soldiers in warfare, receiving medals for "Distinguished Service Beyond the Line of Duty." Colonel Advertiser oversees this mock-military operation, awarding honorable discharge and "free vocational education" to retiring words. The satire mocks advertising language and corporate jargon by literalizing words as expendable combatants. **"The Port of Missing Men"** (bottom illustration) depicts a seedy saloon labeled "Sample Room" with beer advertisements, marked "For Rent." The caption suggests this represents where men disappear into vice and dissipation—a critique of urban poverty, alcoholism, and societal neglect during this era. Both pieces satirize American social problems through visual metaphor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
If Words Could Really Die HI great army of Words stood at rarade rest war—the war of Words—was lals were to be awarded the + Distinguished Service Beyond © of Duty,” they were inscribed. recipients were to be honorably and given a course of free 1 education to fit them for the ing of the medals was to be rreat commander of sned Advertiser, assisted: by Staff, Colonel Publisher. red veterans were: Ser Write for Details,” Sergeant ryeant “ Corre- Sergeant“ Best pest.” Corporal “ Quality and Corporal “ Send No Money.” oral “ Results Guarantee “We hondr to-day,” stated Colonel Lertiser, “this group of few, well- Words. You have lwer er: d. The time has come to give s much needed rest. his hiatus two furiously riding men dashed inte the center of the They were General Public and nise, his air * cried Colonel Adver- © lines immediately. justi Ives to column width se threadhare t ated General Public. he decorated. sir.” infinitived nel Advertiser. Decorated nothing!" italicized: the ral. “ This is the buneh that was ialed last night and ordered leted at sunrise. Deleted, not I have read the proof my Colonel gave a few sharply ated commands, and twenty of highest non-compositors sprang to side of the condemned expletives ‘roperly paragraphed, they were led y to their doom, one Word after wher. Dwight S. Anderson NE half the world, being dissatis- hed with what it has, doesn’t know w the other half can be dissatisfied vith what it hasn't Mother: WE CAN'T TAKE PUPPY TO-DAY, DEAK, WE'KE GOING TO AUNT MARY'S TO LUNCH MOTHER, AN’ T PROMISED HIM FAITHFULLY HE COULD COME.” Cay got Jen y THE PUKT OF MISSING MEN comicbooks.com