Life, 1920-09-09 · page 38 of 44
Life — September 9, 1920 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct pieces of satire: **1. "To the Absent One" (left column):** A humorous poem parodies an employee's longing for their absent secretary, set to the tune of "My Bonnie." The satiric point is obvious: without competent secretarial help, the writer cannot function—their typing is riddled with errors (intentionally misspelled throughout the poem itself). This mocks both workplace dependence on clerical staff and the inferior quality of work produced without proper secretarial support, likely resonating during wartime when labor shortages were common. **2. Kodak Advertisement (center):** A straightforward ad for the Vest Pocket Kodak camera ($9.49, film 25 cents), emphasizing portability and constant availability. **3. "The Age of Miracles" (right):** A brief joke about a wife returning from shopping with numerous purchases. The humor lies in her admission she's actually *keeping* something she bought—implying wives typically hide or return purchases from husbands, making her honesty the "miracle." **4. "Way Up in the Air":** A short anecdote about an aviator's wife dropping a button and the husband's sardonic response about Lake Michigan—gentle marital humor. The page is primarily humorous advertising and light domestic satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
To the Absent One (Tune of “My Bonnie”) Y secretary has gone to mountains, My s-cretary has gon to thee beach. My secreotary writes wundar orthand, Oh bryng hir back safely—the peach, ; 9 Come back, come bak, ou on t Come baek, wizz8d, genius, to me, | to me, Cum back, come bak, Frsm th(s Remingt3n fyiend set carry a | —_ I try to t7pe one symplee I3tter These darn kyes wjll jumbl tumble, Gjeat Scott byt it sure is a strain, i dr(y! Hyrry bock, hurry bak, This sur iz 2 hyll pf a day. you wear it, like a watch. I syt here and frantycally wunder, How cuold you in days n(w Mnipulate thyse fjol k Without e(en the bat of an ey. Your larger camera you carry when you plan Hastn, oh hasten, . y r Hasten thy date of » return, to take pictures. The Vest Pocket Kodak you ie stain, Hhastn, oh hastne, i i Or i I be d have constantly with you to picture the unex- ri sur wyll be de pected and the unusual. It is small in size but My bysiness is goine to th divel, My cusstomers fleeing away, lacks nothing in quality | I thynk, no not th8nk, but I know it, acks a . | L.insyst on a raize in your paye. The price is $9.49. Film for 8 exposures is Roiz8, runvd, oh rundnz, Roum, rorw(c, oh ty7. 25 cents. Both prices include the war tax. RO/Z(, tumo34%4s, Or i zmnq(mOzy, fynye Od Jeannette S. Crowell. The Age of Miracles HUSBAND (discovering the hall full of packages): Heavens! You must have had a successful shopping day. Wire: Yes, dear, and that isn’t the Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N. Y., The Kodak City Dest of it. I have actually got something that I am going to keep. “Way Up in the Air” N aviator’s wife was taking her first tide’ with: him’ in an aeroplane; ie 1 | B RU Ss H ES... Established 1810 “Stop!” she suddenly cried. “I be- f 110 Years yt Making Good Brushes lieve I have dropped one of the pearl but- tons off my coat. I can see it glistening on the ground.” 2 in the United States. Later, and « © ground. now, the largest manufacturers of “ Keep your seat, my dear,” replied her Brushes in the world. husband. “ That’. Lake Michigan.” Excellent quality; infinite variety . Kinds of Brushes. Avraxentty it is only by advertising that the American public can learn anything. —New York Evening Post.