Life — December 2, 1920 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Page Analysis This page consists primarily of an **American Express Travelers Cheques advertisement** (left side) with an unrelated short story titled "A Mild Satire" (right side). The story depicts a humorous Christmas Eve scene where **Perkins, a butler in Santa Claus costume**, interacts with **William, a thirteen-year-old boy**. The satire centers on William's bratty materialism—he requests cigarettes, matches, and a Rolls-Royce chassis rather than appreciating gifts. Perkins repeatedly offers him modest alternatives, which William dismisses as inadequate. The joke mocks **spoiled children and consumer excess**, with the boy's absurd demands escalating throughout. The final illustration shows what appears to be the confrontation between the costumed butler and the ungrateful child. The satire is mild social commentary on Christmas greed among the privileged classes.