Life, 1920-07-29 · page 32 of 36
Life — July 29, 1920 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three brief satirical items under "Our Foolish Contemporaries": 1. **"The Hypnotic Bugler"**: A dialect joke featuring two African American soldiers debating whose regiment's bugler is superior. The humor relies on racial stereotypes and exaggerated dialect speech, mocking Black soldiers' speech patterns while depicting them as obsessed with food. 2. **"Correct"**: Mocks a wealthy woman ("Mrs. Profiteer") who confuses "civics" (the study of government and citizenship) with "civies," which she defines as "the science of interfering in public affairs." The satire targets upper-class ignorance. 3. **"Clown"**: A brief joke about a ventriloquist whose dummy parrot became more profitable than the ventriloquist himself—commenting on entertainment economics. The page is primarily **advertisements** (Guaranty Travelers Checks, Waterman's Ink, and Bogalusa, Louisiana). The cartoons exemplify early 20th-century American humor conventions: racial caricature, class mockery, and wordplay.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
FOOL: CONTEMPO ARIES AEG The —— Bugler Two darkies in a negro regiment were boasting about their company buglers. “Gilong wit’ you, boy,” said one; “you ain't got no booglers. We is got the boogler. and when ‘at boy wraps his off lip around that horn and blows pay-call it sounds jes’ like that um Boston simphony band playin’ * The Rosary.’” “Yeh, I hearn you,” replied the other alk up, boy; talk up. Yo" is wadin’ deep into trouble.” “—An' when he sounds ‘at tapoo the angile Gabriell hisself is lendin’ a ear, boy. ty eh en ‘Travelers Clie cks but if yo’ is yearnin’ fo’ food yo’ wants a boogler with an hypnotic note like we is APER THAN CASH, More convenient than a got. Boy, when Ah hears ole Custard-Mouth S ° check book, and as readily accepted as money Jones discharge his blast Ah looks at mah beans and Ah says, ‘Strawberrehs, behave —everywhere—are GUARANTY TRAVELERS yo'selves! Yo" is crowdin’ the whip cream out o' mah dish.’"—Gold Chevron Cuecks. They are furnished in neat, compact c wallets, and can be cashed in denominations of orrect Mrs. Profiteer was very proud of the from $10 to $100, as your needs require. stunts they were doing at the smart private Take GUARANTY TRAVEL ERS CHECKS on school to which she had sent her daughter. 4 “ My dear,” she said to her friend, “ she’s your vacatlon—on your motor tours—on your learning civics, if you please.” “What's civies?" asked the friend. “Civies? My dear, don't you know? Why, it's the science of interfering ta pab= Get them at your bank—cost only 50 cents per $100 lic affairs."—London Post. Crown: What became of the ventrilo uaran rus ompany oO ew YO Ta G ty Trust C y of New York quist you used to have? Crecus Manacer: Oh, he found he could make more money selling parrots. Capital & Surplus $50,000,000 Resources over $800,000,000 —Yale Record business trips—in the United States or abroad. NEW YorK LONDON LIVERPOOL PARIS HAVRE BRUSSELS Oxe of the safest formule in book re viewing is the statement that “boys of all ages will like this book.” The formula is not as safe as it used to be, for boys are growing sophisticated, and some of them even write novels about college life. ! na —New York Tribune. “The New South's Young City ot Destiny.” “What do you mean—'Bogalusa’?” Well, its. bank deposits are $1,750,000 (ur Per ) Write the Mayor. FOUNTAIN PEN INK Best for os, at an General [Ry Ideal Use L. E. Waterman Co. 191 Broadway New York Z