Life, 1922-03-09 · page 12 of 34
Life — March 9, 1922 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main illustration depicts a dinner party where a hostess apologizes for serving cold food, explaining "the cook has just left." This satirizes the era's domestic servant crisis—a common early-20th-century complaint about cook and household staff turnover and unreliability. "The Busy Executive" column humorously chronicles a businessman's workday obsessing over trivial matters (whiskey prices, charity donations, employee salaries) while conducting pointless office meetings. The satire mocks corporate inefficiency and executives preoccupied with minutiae. "The High Cost of Stepping Out" briefly jokes about a woman trapped in a shop after her purse was stolen—wordplay on being literally "strapped" (penniless). The overall theme lampoons upper-class domestic and professional frustrations of the period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Hostess: The Busy Executive RRIVES at the office at g:15 and commences to read over mail. Is interrupted by his secretary, who announces a gentleman to see him. Gentleman is old friend. Talks for an hour on the price of whi the Peace Conference, the labor question, the way Prohibition is working out, the trouble with the railroads, the best way to make gin, the scarcity of money, the price of whisky. Bids friend good day. Calls in general manager to discuss question of salary increases. Discov- ers general manager has seen the same show on the previous night. Retells the jokes he remembers, comments on the senselessness of musical comedies in general, recalls a couple more. jokes. Is interrupted by a solicitor for funds This sauté has grown quite cold. "s a posthumous dish, dear. for the poor. Dismisses general man- ager, criticizes management of all such charity organizations, argues for half an hour on whether or not. salaries should be paid out of charity funds. Tells solicitor how the poor should be cared for. Denounce worthy. Subscribes twenty-five dollars. eee Goes out to lunch. Meets particular friend who knows a good place—only seventy-five cents and real stuff. Comes back to the office at 2:30. Answers phone. Learns he has won a bet of a box of cigars and that the loser is on his way up with the cigars. Greets friend, smokes, discusses munic- ipal ownership, automobile locks, what too much yeast will do, what's the mat- ter with the government, the correct proportion of alcohol for the radiator at zero, ten below, fifteen below and twenty below, why it is not worth while The cook has just left. to be Governor, the boys he could lick in school. Bids friend good-hy, calls secretary and turns over letters to be answered. Closes desk, drives home. he can’t possibly go to receptio tired after a hard day’s grind : office. be The High Cost of Stepping N fine display, was latest craze— A three-strapped pump in famous shop. She had to pause for just one look, And that for her was fatal stop Because it made her go inside, And once inside she then wa trapped. Quite true, she left the shop, hut 0 Her purse was pumped and she we strapped! BLEW. di mi ha ot! cla she ner Spe: to comicbooks.com