Life, 1920-04-22 · page 40 of 44
Life — April 22, 1920 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical timeline mocks the bureaucratic incompetence afflicting World War I veterans seeking vocational retraining. "Private Hick" applies for government-funded education on March 1, but his application gets lost, misdirected, and shuffled between Washington and district offices for months. The military discharge takes immediately; bureaucratic approval takes until August—by which point he's spent his $60 discharge bonus. The punchline: when finally approved for a plumbing course, it's overcrowded, so he's offered cigar-wrapping instead. The course material never arrives and is cancelled. By October, broke and abandoned by the system, Hick is reduced to street-vending pencils and shoelaces. The satire indicts post-war governmental failure to support returning soldiers. The Latin title emphasizes the cruel irony: a soldier's brief "glory" (military service) evaporates into bureaucratic ruin. This reflects real 1920s frustrations with inadequate veteran benefits and administrative dysfunction.
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Insurance Against Delays Any motor may stall—any car get stuck in mud—any one of a dozen minor accidents halt you on the road—perhaps miles from the nearest garage. But no mat- ter when or where you're strand- ed, any autoist is sportsman enough to give you a pull, if you've along a BASLINE AUTOWLINE You can depend on the * Little Steel Rope with the Big Pull” to haul you out of trouble every time. Made of famous Yellow Strand Wire Rope, with patented Snaffle Hooks that attach instantly and securely. It’s the original wire rope towline. Fits under seat cushion. With it you can pull out of a ditch or mudhole on your own At dealers, $6.95, east of STEEL AUTOWLOCK, also made of Yellow Strand Wire Rope, is a safe- guard against stealing of car or spare tire. Has sturdy spring lock that can’t be picked. At dealers, $2.80, east of Rockies. Powersteet Truckine, “big brother” to Autowline, is for extra-heavy towing. Retails, east of Rockies, at $11.30 with plain hooks; $12.75 with Snaffte Hooks. BRODERICK & BASCOM ROPE CO. St. Louis New York Manufacturers of Celebrated Yellow Strand Wire Rope—Used in hundreds of mines, oil fields, shipyards, ete LEE Sic Transit Gloria Mundi ARCH 1. Private Hick decides to apply from G. H. No. 15 for vocational re-education. March 2. Application made out, ap- proved, and sent to proper district March 17. Application returned to Private Hick as incorrectly made out Private Hick rectifies errors. March 22. Private Hick’s applica- tion accepted by district officers and forwarded to Washington. April 1. Private Hick honorably dis- charged from G. H. No. 15. Presented with sixty dollars. April Washington finds ex-Pri- vate Hick’s application under pile of unopened Congressional Records. April 6. Washington returns ex- Private Hick’s application to district officers as incorrectly forwarded. April 8. Paralysis epidemic among district officers. April 26. Private Hick spends last dollar of his sixty. Starts looking for job. May 9. District officers return ex- Private Hick’s application to G. H. No. 15. May 23. G. H. No. 15 reports hon- orable discharge of ex-Private Hick on April 1. Returns application to district officers. June 4. District officers return ap- plication to Washington. June 5. Washington loses applica- tion. Ex-Private Hick finds poor job. July 14. Civil service scrub-woman finds application. Puts it on proper official’s desk. July 20. Proper official accepts Pri- vate Hick’s application for vocational re-education. Aug. 2. He so informs district of- ficers Aug. 15. District officers reply to ex-Private Hick’s letter of April 4, telling him the plumbers’ course, for which he applied on March 2, is now overcrowded. Suggest as substitute either mechanical drafting or cigar wrapping. Aug. 30. Ex-Private Hick receives letter. Decides to accept course in cigar wrapping plus cighty dollars a month maintenance. Sept. 3. Delay in shipment of ma- terial temporarily stops course. Sept. 15. Washington orders investi- gation of delay. Course indefinitely discontinued. Oct. 1, Ex-Private Hick’s eighty dollars a month discontinued. Oct. 15. Fall line of pencils and shoe laces displayed on prominent thor- oughfares by ex-Private Hick. Oct. 24. Society-worker asks ex- Private Hick to buy two hundred and LAUREL. in-the-PINES LAKEWOOD, N. J. Nowhere does spring awaken ane beauty and glory than akewood. Along me trails in 4 great pine forests violets and arbu are peeping out. The t balmy airis) the right tonic after a long winter Lists for the spring golf tournament are Alling, Special events at the traps on Lake Mar Under the direction of Front F. Shae ‘Open the year ‘round fifty dollars’ worth of goverument sav ing stamps to aid suffe: roatia Oct. 25. Ex-Private Hick attempt: to blow up Treasury Building, W: ington, D. C. He is promptly arrested. Nov. 14. Delayed shipment of toot wrapping material arrives. ( sumed. At roll call ex-Pri marked A. W. O. L. Nov. 21. Ex-Private Hick auto matically dropped from cigar-wrapping course, Dec. 1. -Private Hick sentenced to twenty years’ hard labor. Receives letter from rehabilitation school ad- vising him cigar-wrapping course re commences November 15. Dec. 15. Washington appropriates two million dollars with which to s out general circulars telling he ex: cellent work of the Voc education Board. Henry William Hanemann PERPETUAL MOTION AS IT SEEMS TO THE AVERAGE NOUSEWIT “MADE AT. al GAR comicbooks.com