Life, 1922-06-22 · page 7 of 34
Life — June 22, 1922 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents travel anecdotes from what appears to be an American tourist visiting Europe (likely Austria, given references to Vitznau and the Rigi mountain railway). The satire mocks both American provincial attitudes and European puzzlement at American Prohibition. The cartoon depicts a figure smoking a pipe beside a lake or water body. The caption "The Snake: No use biting one of those fellows. They've always got their medicine with them" suggests Americans were smuggling alcohol despite Prohibition laws. The accompanying text ridicules American ignorance of European culture—tourists wanting American-style coffee service and preferring familiar comforts. The humor targets American insularity and the absurdity of Prohibition-era travelers attempting to circumvent alcohol bans while abroad. The "Snake" likely represents Europe itself, wary of American visitors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* LIFE - The Podunker Abroad A Rolling Prune Gathers No Knowledge ISTERDAY we had a guod breakfast at the hotel ye 1en we motored to Vitznau and took the funic- ular railway to the top of the Rigi, We had lunch at a table looking over the lake. I am sending you the menu. [have marked the bisque d’écrevisses and the coquille de homard l'américaine and the perdreaux truffés, which were very good though a little hearty. I tried for 15 minutes to make the waiter serve my coffee with the t it didn’t seem to be any use. I'd just as leave iny dinner at all as not have my coffee with the dinner aid I should think a really progressive hotel would arrange for people who like to have their coffee with their dinner. The view from the top of the Rigi is really excellent. There something about it—I don't know what—that makes me think of the view from the roof-garden of the Yates House... dinner | not have —Morner. x ok ... \\ent up the Rigi yesterday. Fine view. You go up a rack-and-pinion railway from Vitznau; the grade is 1 to 4 and they make about 5 miles per. It’s a well- built road, but they say they're losing money this year. I got to thinking it would be a good idea to have little nickel-in-the-slot phonographs by each seat with a de- scription of the scenery and perhaps some yodelling on the end. They could run in some advertising, not offen- sive at all but sort of chatty, like, “Pretty cold, isn’t it? Better get a good warm overcoat at Amrain’s to-mor- row.” It ought to go big. They don’t understand publicity in this country. There was a lot of people at the Rigi looking over the scenery and some of them probably big manufacturers. Why couldn't the Chamber of Commerce at Lucerne run up a balloon with a big sign on it—‘This is Lucerne, pop. 37,000. Put Your Factory Here. It's a fine view all right. There's nothing like it in Oklahoma . . . —FaTHER, x ok . . . Took the gang over to Vitznau in the bus yester- day. She's got a knock I don’t like, and I’ve been trying to get a chance to take her to pieces. So when the old folks went up the Rigi mountain I stayed in the garage and gave her a good overhauling. Found the timer was in bad shape and fixed her with an ordinary lock-washer. This is a nice country, with good scenery, but it’s an awful place for spare parts. The roads are too steep and you have to take the hills in first. Switzerland would be all right if it weren't for the grades . . . —S1sTEr. In These Piping Times of Prohibition The Snake: No use biting one of those fellows. They’ve always got their medicine with them comicbooks.com