Life, 1921-08-18 · page 23 of 35
Life — August 18, 1921 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Button, Button!" Essay (Corey Ford):** A humorous complaint about accumulating commemorative pins and buttons from various causes—Irish Relief Fund, Democratic Campaign, Harding Campaign, Liberty Loans, Red Cross. The author sardonically describes fashioning them into belts and suit decorations, suggesting Americans are drowning in political/charitable insignia. The joke hinges on the absurdity of collecting so many trinkets that they become meaningless—conflating "insignia" with "insignificant." **Diner Cartoon:** A waiter asks a clerical-looking man about roast beef preparation. The diner, lost in thought, responds with a biblical phrase ("Well done, good and faithful servant"), confusing the mundane food question with religious language. It's a gentle joke about absent-mindedness and how professional/spiritual roles can intrude into everyday conversation. **Garden Cartoon:** A farmer protests that birds eating his fruit are actually beneficial because they consume insects. The farmer responds dryly that while appreciated, he'd prefer they ate insects *instead* of his fruit "for dessert"—highlighting how logic doesn't comfort someone losing their harvest.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
August 18 Button, Button! STERDAY we joined something or other and received Y pin for it. We haven't a baby who wears those things that babies wear, so we can’t put the pin to its proverbial use. We have thought of pinning it onto the vest of our gray suit, e still have two square inches of unused space, be- ag of the Irish Relief Fund and a Democratic Cam- paign Button; but we are really planning to save that space to sec the material, so as to know just which suit the vest iz two fraternity pins up at Vassar, we have at pr enough insignia to cover one suit and an extra pair of trousers; and our collection of political buttons could stretch from here to the White House, and did so last year. We have made a belt out of our Hoover Relief Tags, which covers our waist; and we have worked our Harding Campaign xs into the design of a Cross with an American Flag nd it, signifying the Hope of the World; though the design »t so plain now as it was when it was first made up. We ived all our souvenir watch charms and Liberty Loan and Red Cross Pins for the last five years; and we protest now because the mail any day may bring us gold charm in the shape of a Bird, with a bill, from owlers’ Association, whic! to realize the derivative ion between insignia and insignificant. :t of course all this will be forgotten when we are offered vlan Political Charm next autumn, with a New York rican eagle. We shall wear that in a place where it will be very conspicuous. Corey Ford. ‘| fuel will you have your roast beef?” asked the waiter. “Well done, good and faithful servant,” murmured the clerical-looking diner absent-mindedly. Appreciation “wonder how many gallons ‘go over every ‘minute SD ikwoon + Ac “But you're wrong in thinking the birds a nuisance. They devour the insects and caterpillars.” “I’m glad you told me. It’s a great consolation to know that they eat my fruit merely for dessert.” comicbooks.com