Life, 1922-08-17 · page 8 of 36
Life — August 17, 1922 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page introduces a serialized work titled "My Four Years Out of Germany," apparently a memoir or novel about German life. The illustration depicts a domestic scene where two well-dressed men converse with seated women in what appears to be a parlor. The caption's humor concerns marital discretion: when asked if he and his wife agree on politics, the man replies they don't discuss it—he deliberately keeps her uninformed ("I wouldn't have her know for anything"). This satirizes early 20th-century gender attitudes, mocking the notion that wives shouldn't be troubled with political knowledge or opinions. The "joke" reflects period assumptions about women's intellectual exclusion from civic matters, attitudes Life's readership would have recognized as commonplace, if not universally approved.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE Anoder Var Book Events Leading Up to der Var and Events Leading Down from der Var Explained Among the publications announced for the summer trade is another’war volume by that eminent scrivener, William Hohenzollern. Early proofsheets from Mr. Hohenzollern’s private woodshed enable us to lead all competitors in presenting this volume to the world. The American transla- tion is by Weber and Fields. And the title is My Four Years Out of Germany Chapter I. Ja, bo! So I tink I join der six best sellers und tell about der var. So if you like “My Four Years Out of Germany,” please tell your friends. Und if you don't like it—Oh, but you VILL like it! I like it myself! ELL, friends, here J am again. Nice veather ve're having, vot? Alvays cheerful, dot’s me. Vere do I get dot stuff, hey? Vell, to start at der beginnings, I didn’t expect to write no book on der var. Let gone-bys be gone-bys iss my vay of tinking. I promise myself Chapter II. I say noddings und saw vood. Und den I begins to Along in 1914 I mekes myself der mind bet I can have read der var books. Ludendorff, he gets vun out. Rotten! der Chrissmas dinner in Paritz. Now vot could be (i Hindenburg, den he writes vun, too. Hindy issa terrible simpler dan dot? Everydings vas going fine ven Papa | author. Den Von Tirpitz, he gets out der naval pamphlet. Joffre he spills der beans. Dot’s vot you call rotten Vell, I've read better vuns dan dot. Maxie Harden, he service. Papa stops us at der Marne mit der fleet of taxi- keeps on writing books. I never liked dot guy’s stuff, crabs. Can you beat dot—mit taxicrabs! Vot iss der 4 anyvay. Und finally my little poy, der crown prince, he use of preparings for der var mit busy Berthas und gets der pen und ink fever, too. Der kid iss clever, vot? howitzers und der hant grenades ven a bunch of chitney . I'll sprechen so! But if der crown princie gets out der drivers can come along und hold up der whole parade? book, vy can’t his papa, also? Vot iss sauce for der Understanden-sie, Papa Joffre, he didn’t hold me up. goose-stepper iss sauce for der vood-sawer. Nicht wahr? Oh, no—I’'m too smart for him! He holds up Von “Do you and your wife agree in regard to politics?” . “No, we don’t, but keep it to yourself, old top. I wouldn’t have her know for anything.” ' comicbooks.com