Life, 1920-07-22 · page 23 of 40
Life — July 22, 1920 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate satirical pieces mocking early-20th-century social issues: **"Some People Are Born Lucky"**: Two writers joke about a female author who supposedly has breakfast with her husband twice weekly—implying she's so poor or busy this is remarkable, not luxurious. **"Positive Proof"**: A quip about a man being a "brilliant conversationalist" because he listened without speaking—satirizing vapid social pretense. **Séance cartoon**: Mocks spiritualism's popularity by showing a medium struggling to "summon spirits," with a joke that she was a telephone operator (suggesting incompetence at a new "medium"). **"Our English Course"**: The longest piece sardonically presents dialogue teaching English while describing a starving schoolteacher punished for teaching youth about war/violence. It bitterly suggests society will only remember her after everyone dies—dark social commentary on how little society valued teachers. The camel illustration's caption, "Imitation is the sincerest flattery," appears thematic but its specific reference is unclear.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
— san Some People Are Bom Lucky IRST HACK WRITER 1 see that this lady author says she takes break- fast with her husband twice a week. Seconp Hack Waiter: I wonder where they get the breakfasts? Fanning Dasher: 159 “IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FLATTERY” Positive Proof “THEY say he is a brilliant conversa- tionalist.” “He certainly is! He listened to me the other day for an hour and never said a word.” IT SEEMS TO TAKE THIS NEW MEDIUM AN UNUSUALLY LONG TIME TO SUMMON HER SPIRITS. HAVE PATIENCF, SHE USED TO BE A TELEPHONE OPERATOR, Our English Course Con ‘sations for the Be of Those Who Wish to Obtain Quickly a Knowl- edge of Our Esteemed Longuoge S the school-teacher dying? No, not quite; but she is pretty far gone. What is the matter with the school- teacher? She is hungry, and has no clothes to wear. to live. What has the Has she committed any crime? Oh, yes. The school-teacher has been guilty of teaching the young idea how to shoot. And what will happen to her for doing this? Oh, nothing much. She will be talked about a great deal, and nice people will say that she should have enough to eat. Will this make any difference to the school-teacher? We do not think so. Perhaps in a hundred years or so. But by that time we shall all be dead. Oh, yes; and so will the school-teacher. You must not forget her. That is so. It would be wrong to forget the school- teacher, Also, she has no place school-teacher done? HERE really has been a cut in prices. It is now possible to buy a fifteen- dollar suit for sixty dollars. comicbooks.com