Life, 1921-09-01 · page 10 of 35
Life — September 1, 1921 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains a collection of brief satirical observations and jokes rather than a single political cartoon. The central illustration depicts a cobbler at work, accompanying a joke about business practices and deception. The jokes target various contemporary subjects: Chicago baseball players' immunity claims, the National Plumbers' Association establishing retirement homes, Italy's cheap cigars, taxi drivers' spinning tales, and Russia's capitalist education. The cobbler illustration supports a quip about using "guile" in business—the cobbler "unlosing a smile" while selling cheap shoes as quality goods, suggesting commercial dishonesty was a recognized social problem worthy of satire. Overall, the page reflects early 20th-century concerns about commercial fraud, labor practices, and social hypocrisy through humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HE Chicago ball-players who waived immunity didn’t regard it as a per- manent waive. aL Turning back time is as yet unaccom- plished, but our flappers roll down the clocks on their stockings. If Cxsar came to Amer- ica now, he’d cable back, “Veni, vidi, vichy.” aL The National Plumbers’ Association is establish- ing a home for the aged and infirm of that craft. At the pace they work at most of ‘em will be eligible to admission be- fore they finish the job. aL The difference between charity and philanthropy is that charity can’t af- ford a press agent. Italy boasts that she has produced a cigar that is selling for 2 cents. That’s nothing. Amer- ica has produced a 2- cent cigar that is selling for 10 cents. aL Taxi drivers toil not, but, oh, how they can spin! L Three-cent postage will be satisfactory if they give us a cent’s worth of gum on the back of a two-cent stamp. Russia may yet be compelled to open night schools for the teaching of capi- talism. . LL Rabindranath Tagore has been intro- ducing American slang into one of his novels. He will have to do more than that to make them popular with us. aL The man that invented the pay-station coin box made plugged nickels worth five cents apiece. A certificate of stock in an oil company doesn’t necessarily throw a great deal of light on it. aL Women’s ears will be exposed this sea- son. Hear! Hear! JAMES A TRADE SECRET “In business one has to use guile,” Said-the cobbler unloosing a smile; “I sole shoes like these With thin slices of cheese They last just an eighth of a mile!” Complete world peace will never be at- tained so long as men insist on playing saxophones. —L Scented toilet water imported to America must first be treated to chemicals which make it unfit for drinking. If they would only give it an added treatment to make it unfit for external application! +L The decline of after-dinner speaking is due to two causes: The orators have too MONTSOMERY FLCC much wind, and the auditors have too little breath. JIL The King having denied that he said something that Northcliffe didn’t say he said, Northcliffe has apologized for not having said what some- body said he didn’t say, aL One swallow may not make a summer, but about three now: a pretty good si; early fall. JL If you lose your thumb, a French ready to make you anew one from your big toe. We can see a poor fel- low, after a operation, hesi tween the manicur the ¢hiropodist. JL Granp Opera: Off again, On again, Gone again, Tellegen. aL Bryan Held Up Twice for Speeding, but Re- leased Both Times— Headline. They didn’t want Bill to run again. JL They are talking about putting a pontoon bridge across the Hudson. What is really needed is a pontoon bridge out to the three-mile limit. Jays is surgeon is JL ‘The bootleggers are beginning to acquire sea legs. +L In Cuba, all roads lead to Rum. -L We are in a position to confirm the ru- mor, which has been going the rounds for some time, to the effect that next Tuesday is the date when the Burlesque Number appears, comicbooks.com