Life — May 24, 1923 — page 31: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This comic strip depicts a humorous lesson about treating service workers fairly. The narrative follows Joe and Sam, wealthy golfers, during a rainstorm with their young caddy (a boy who carries their golf clubs). The joke's point: When Joe suggests sheltering the caddy under an umbrella, Sam dismissively refuses. Later, when the caddy borrows Sam's only match to light a cigarette after the rain clears, Joe quips that "they always return it"—implying the caddy will give the match back, just as he would have returned an umbrella had Sam lent him one. The satire critiques upper-class hypocrisy and selfishness toward working-class youth. The "moral" headline suggests that treating service workers with basic kindness produces loyalty and reciprocal good behavior—a pointed commentary on class relations in early-to-mid 20th century America.