Life, 1922-05-04 · page 29 of 34
Life — May 4, 1922 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the modern American obsession with tracking trivial domestic mishaps as if they were serious news. The "Casualty List" mimics stock-market or wartime casualty reporting, treating mundane social embarrassments as major incidents: a cousin stealing $25 as a "loan," a maid quitting suddenly, the cost of an automobile outing ($20 for dinners, gas, oil, etc.), and card-game losses. The humor lies in the mock-serious tone and financial accounting of social disasters—essentially mocking both the sensationalism of early-20th-century newspapers and American materialism. Each "casualty" receives a name and detailed accounting, treating petty domestic drama with the gravitas of actual tragedy. The separate "Independence" piece below offers contrasting definitions from different social perspectives (chauffeur, socialist, preacher, demagogue, monk), gently mocking how everyone claims to understand independence differently—a commentary on competing ideologies of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Sunday Casualty List Week-end Accidents closed late Sunday night with a record of brisk trading and a strong upward trend at the finish. Lure’s city desk reports the following casualties: RPLE, THEOBALD WOLF- GANG. Dropping in on the Ar- ples in the early forenoon on Sunday, Mrs. Arple’s own cousin Jake forcibly removed the sum of twenty-five dollars from Mr. Arple. Cousin Jake told Mr. Arple to consider it in the light of a loan. Mr. Arple, however, said he pre- ferred to consider it in the light of an TI FFA V y & Co. outrage. Blunnit, Sarah. Suddenly, on Sun- day afternoon, Sarah, devoted maid-of- PEARLS JEWELRY WATCHES CLOCKS SILVERWARE all-work of Mr. and Mrs. James Mer- ton Trill. The cause of her taking-off is believed to be unexpected dinner uests. “She left us cold.” witcMustard, Jamieson. Invited to en- KNOWN QUALI LY joy the comforts of his friends’, Mr. and Mrs. Meerz’s, new automobile with his wife, Mr. Meerz reports as suffer- ing from the following casualties: Four dinners—$20, Twenty gallons gas—$s. Four quarts oil—$1.60.. Two ALL MAIL Iwqumrts RECEIVE Propr ATTENTION spark plugs, with installation service— $ ‘our suppers—$16.85. Mr. and Mrs. Cleophas. Fira AVENUE & 37 STREET s from bad bridge-work at the house of some friends, Mrs, Cleophas New York Whisset reported a loss of $34.60. Mrs. | | Whisset made the statement that never in her life had she held such impos- ‘sible hands. At the same place, Mr. Cleophas Whisset reported a loss of | $50, even, from poker. Mr. Whisset made no statement. | 1 HeWet. | Wins Her Sympathy ' “What do you do when your stenog- rapher is late?” igh heavily,” said Mr. Dubwaite. at get any results?” he tells me I’m working too Birmingham Age-Herald. Independence “Independence,” said the chauffeur, “consists in periodically telling the boss where to get off. It means taking no lip from nobody.” “Independence,” said the Socialist, “con- sists in throwing off the remnants of an outworn social system and emerging into the light of a social and industrial democ- MADISON AVE, 43rd TO 44th STREETS pe r i ' “Independence,” said the preacher, “is in NEW YORK a way a paradox. For though it means freedom of ihe soul irom the pond of the . flesh it subordinates it almost completely to Tea in the Palm Room the laws of the Spirit. It means the lift- ing of man into a newer and higher con- Dancing sciousness.” . A “Independence,” said the demagogue, “is in the Supper Room fi the birthright of every thinking individual. It is the acknowledged right of mankind to determine its own destinies. It is the JOHN McE. BOWMAN, ay, essence of God himself.” nerd én Ou “Independence,” said the: ancient bene- x AK NJ] | dict, “I am afraid T have forgotten.” “THE BEGGAR'S OPERA” | —K. W. B., in Princeton Tiger. G. E. Studdy in the Sketch (London), comicbooks.com