Life, 1920-08-05 · page 29 of 48
Life — August 5, 1920 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**The "X" Section** satirizes the obscurity of a major Treaty Article in contemporary political debate (likely Wilson's Fourteen Points, given the historical context). Life mocks how politicians use deliberately confusing language—14 points supposedly explained through words stripped of their initial letters (excitement → "citement," exaggeration → "ggeration"). The joke is that this "Xclusive Xplanation" explains nothing; it demonstrates how political rhetoric deliberately obscures rather than clarifies. The text concludes: no one actually understands what's being discussed, making it perfectly suited for political use. **The Bottom Cartoon** depicts a naive seller offering property (likely land) to a buyer. The owner claims it's worth "seven billion dollars"—an absurdly inflated price suggesting either a con artist, delusional optimism, or satirical commentary on wildly overvalued real estate deals common in that era. Both sections target political and commercial obfuscation through wordplay and false value.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THAT FIRST TOOTH X. O ‘R title concerns a famous Treaty Article, now a campaign issue. That everyone may understand the exact truth con- cerning it, the following Xclusive Xplanation, which embraces without Xclusion all of the important points, is offered There are fourteen Points to the Article, citement, aggeration, ecration, pense, planations, trava nce, j ecution, which mean, will mean, q have meant, | communication, perimentation, tinction, cruciation, inanition, clamation, asperation. It Xquisitely Nemplifies an Xtraordinary Nample of the Xcessively Xorbitant Nactitude Xhibited in an Nigency by lot of Xuberant X-statesmen in Xperience in Xuding an Xcresence of doubtful Ximious Xcel- lence in the Npectation of Xculpating themselves before an Xhausted and Xperimented public. It is good because it is bad. A thing may have so much bad in it that it becomes a good. That makes it a thing to be de- sired, even though we might not want it. trinsically Nercising their After reading this, or after talking with anyone, the invariable conclusion is that no one knows anything about it. The secret of it lies in its unknown (X) quantity. Ten to one it will be determined an Xtraordinarily 10-tative matter, to say the least. Xit. Lure ROM Trinidad to Mexico is sixteen miles. 1 have ridden it by daylight—I have ridden it by stars. Out across the trackless desert, just to earn my sh der-bars. But that was many years I've no doubt the scattered cl rn to the sun; Ruilding rainbows in the skies, Where high heavy From Trinidad to Mexico y lies. s sixteen miles Oh, T have no poignant f rainir I've a canker in and a brier in my I have got d of Paradise I am like a ndex s h no carge There's a solemn sort of glory in the desert r nil makes the pulse beat thicker t see sand so white. And the desert in the dawn ath 0 think upon From 1 fad to Mexico is sixteen mi ave seen the boys go marching out in steady, weary files 0 marching out at morning and come marching in at night- I was just a foolish fellow whom a silly word be And I caught a B of Faradise th that I were back passed me in ii But 1 wi gain along the desert waste With alkali to burn my eyes and cauteri, For there’s magic when Turns the desert back dun. From Trinidad to Mexico is sixteen miles. Joseph Andrew Ge Owner: SURE, I'LL SELL 'IM, JUST RUN HOME AN’ GIT SEVEN BILLION DOLLARS, AN’ He's YOUR'N comicbooks.com