Life, 1922-09-28 · page 13 of 36
Life — September 28, 1922 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks American tourists returning from European travel. The main character, Mr. Walton Mills of Des Moles (likely Des Moines), is depicted as exhausted and financially drained—illustrated sitting surrounded by foreign currency and exchange rate confusion. The cartoon ridicules several stereotypes: Mrs. Bowers obsessing over currency conversions; Mrs. Nissen endlessly recounting European anecdotes; and American businessmen gathering nightly to complain that Europe lacks proper American-style business practices. The final panel shows a man struggling with souvenirs, having crossed some "three-mile limit," implying he's overloaded with purchases. The satire targets American tourists' contradictory behavior: complaining about European customs while over-consuming European goods and experiences, then returning home boastful and broke.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE The Tourist Homeward Plods His Weary Way At his time of life Mr. Walton Mills, of Des Moines, la, should never have attempted rum running. Luc quarter-pint concealed in his trunk made his manner so furtive that rumor quickly spread that he was 1 “dry agent.” Fellow passengers with anything 'o hide carefully avoided him, and his utter isolaticn nly confirmed his fears that he was a branded man just before crossing the three-mile line Mr. Mills rudently consigned the cause of his misery to Davy Jones’ locker. Mrs. Bowers has spent the entire voyage in reducing her foreign moneys to dollars and cents, and herself and fellow passengers to nervous pros- tration. Having the kind of mind that wilts under the simple problems of daylight and standard times, how could she expect in six short days to find How much 19 marks, 23 francs, 3 shillings, 14 lire, and 31 kronen represent, at the current rate of exchange, in good old U. S, A.? No one got more from the trip abroad than Miss Nissen. She can talk for hours of the battle- field of Flanders where the uide overcharged her two rancs; of Rheims, where she simply refused to pay 20 francs —positive blackmail—for a hotel room; of the Passion Play, where she was charged double for a seat merely because she was an American, though how they knew, etc., etc., etc. Every night the successful business men gather in the smok- ing room to tell one another what the matter really is with Europe. Though they sometimes differ as to the exact course that will set it on its feet, on one thing they agree unanimously: what Europe needs most is some hard-headed American business men like themselves. The Statue of Liberty! The usual furry of cheers and flutter of handkerchiefs! Under the wave of patriotic enthusiasm only Mr. Griddle remains high and dry. That's just the trouble with him. By a slight miscalculation he tarried too long over strapping his wife's trunk, and when he returned above, the vessel had just crossed the three-mile limit. The Statue of Liberty, indeed! comicbooks.com