Life, 1923-07-26 · page 6 of 42
Life — July 26, 1923 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts two men in working-class attire standing beside railroad tracks, with one holding a pole or signal device. The caption reads: "YEH, I SEEN BETTER DAYS. I WAS A FLOOR WALKER ONCE IN ONE O' THEM BIG DEPARTMENT STORES" / "GUESS Y'GOT YER TRANSFER THERE, CURLY, IN THE TIE DEPARTMENT." This satirizes economic decline during what appears to be the Great Depression era. The joke portrays a former department store employee (a "floor walker"—a supervisory retail position) now reduced to railroad work. The "tie department" pun darkly suggests either railroad ties or suicide by hanging, mocking the desperation of unemployment and downward mobility that many Americans experienced during economic hardship.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“YEH, I SEEN BETTER DAYS. I WAS A FLOOR WALKER ONCE IN ONE 0’ THEM BIG DEPARTMENT STORES.” “GUESS Y'GOT YER TRAININ’ THERE, CULLY, IN THE TIE DEPARTMENT.” They Never Would Be Missed HE steamship companies report that an average of 5,000 persons a month are going to Europe. This probably is very gratifying to the steamship companies, but we cannot fully rejoice with them until their passenger lists include the following, who we have reason to believe are still on these shores: Men who rock boats. Men who didn’t know it loaded. Inspirational business writers. was Real estate promoters. “Used car” salesmen. Enthusiastic golf monologists. Popular song lyricists. Gas-meter readers. Small-army congressmen. A.C. M. A., Jr. LECTRICAL Suow Note—A reformer says he has lamped the current styles in bathing suits and found them shocking. And watt’s more, their scandal-power is high. Au Revoir s ISS Simpkins,” I said tenderly at breakfast, “I’m afraid we won't see each other again. Our vaca- tions are ended to-day, and we scatter to the four corners of the earth. But I just want to take this opportunity to say what it’s meant _knowi these two weeks here at Mapleview G—good-by, Miss Simpkins,” and I stumbled out through my tears. “Good-by again, Miss Simpkins,” | said as we happened to meet later on the stairs. “I only want to repeat that these two weeks at Mapleview have been the happiest two weeks of my life. There’s no need of my saying what it’s meant knowing you. It—it's meant a lot.” And I blushed, and went upstairs to pack my bag. As it happened, I met Miss Simp- kins again’ on the porch as I left. “Well, I'm off,” I said a little clum- sily. “These have been a happy two weeks here at Mapleview. And it's meant a great deal knowing you. Good-by, Miss Simpkins.” “Good-by,” she said. “I'll down with you to the gate.” “Well,” I said, and we halted, “it's meant a lot knowing you for these two weeks at Mapleview. They've been a happy two weeks—the happiest two weeks of my life. Good-by, Miss Simpkins.” “Good-by,” she said, and I watched her go back into the house. I wanted to be sure. I like to cut a summer romance clean, and this was getting frayed. I caught a glimpse of her in the village—I had missed my train, and it was two hours to the next—but I ducked into a drug-store in’ time. A little later she saw me first and dodged behind a tree. I hid in the post-office till train-time. We bumped together outside the station. “Good-by,” I shouted. “Meant a lot knowing you, happiest t’weeks m'life,” and I ran for the train. “Good-by,” I called as I leaped onto the platform. “Is this your train too?” she gasped as she mounted behind me. Corey Ford. walk Professional Instinct HE Minister: Do you promise to love, honor— Tue Younc Lawyer-Best Man (absent-mindedly): I object to the question as irrelevant. comicbooks.com