Life, 1920-12-02 · page 72 of 97
Life — December 2, 1920 — page 72: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising** mixed with brief satirical humor pieces. The main advertisement promotes **Boston Garters** (men's sock garters) as sensible Christmas gifts, claiming men always prefer this brand—a conventional product endorsement. Below is a cartoon captioned "A Gentle Hint for the Bashful Leap-Year Girl," referencing the tradition that women propose to men on leap-year day. The accompanying story recounts a coincidence where someone resembles a person the narrator imagined—playing on psychic phenomena or fate, ending with the humorous question "Am I psychic or am I not?" The right column contains brief satirical definitions and anecdotes, including one mocking Congressman Bulger for emphasizing appeals to "plain people," a comment on populist political rhetoric. A smaller advertisement for "President Suspenders" closes the page. The humor is gentle, domestic, and conventional—typical of Life magazine's satirical style in this era, focusing on everyday social awkwardness rather than sharp political critique.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
People Like Sensible Gifts— Christmas morning is very often a farce com edy. So MANY people give the wrong gifts. It’s the truest thing you know! And there is nothing more difficult than to give the “Men Folks” something that really pleases them—some- thing inexpensive yet VALUABLE. In your search for such gifts, remember the Boston Garter The moment men clap Christmas eyes on the Boston Garter they will say, either aloud or to themselves:—‘‘The Best—always has been so.” It is the garter they buy themselves. In buying, about the first thing one demands is “Quality”. A pair of Boston Garters is one of those Safe and Sure Quality gifts for the Merry Yuletide. GEORGE FROST COMPANY, Makers, BOSTON. A GENTLE HINT POR THE BASHFUL LEAP-YEAR GIRL at the door of the hotel I, in going out, narrowly escaped bumping into a person coming in. In every regard this person was the physical‘embodiment of the con< jured image of that Sunday afternoon, There were the buck teeth, the mother- of-pearl ears, the turned-in toes and all the rest of it, down to the minutest of preconceived details. I addressed the proprietor of the hotel, who chanced to be standing just outside the door. “That gentleman yonder,” I asked, “who is he?” “I do not know ze gentleman's name* he said, “ but he is ze private searetary of Lady Upchurch.” The proprietor drew nearer to me and discreetly sank his voice to a conversational undertone: “TI do not know why it is,” he said, “ but always ze J private secretaries of rich English ladies look like zat one.” I have stated the circumstances exactly as I recall them. Having stated them, I close this brief narrative by repeating the same question with which it opened, namely : Am I psychic or am I not? P HE landlord has tricks that are novel_ and quaint, As people who travel know well. He gives the old tavern a new coat of paint, And names it the “ Palace Hotel.” Making It Too Plain UB: I understand Bulger was de- feated for Congress by the women, Dus: Yes; he insisted upon empha- sizing that he asked only for the vote of the plain people. Gray Memories UZZLER: How bright the world seemed when we used to paint the town red! Fuzzter: And what a shabby old world it became as soon as the paint wore off! IPLOMACY—Making the way seem smooth and desirable to the other fellow while you get there first. CVS for comfort A useful holiday gift MADE AT SHIRLEY MASSACHUSETTS comicbooks.com