Life, 1924-02-28 · page 25 of 36
Life — February 28, 1924 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Position Wanted"** satirizes advertising industry jargon. An unemployed ad man complains he followed all the unwritten rules—calling clients "clients," offices "shops," coworkers "staff," and using corporate buzzwords like "account executives" and "market investigation." He was fired for one slip: saying "chief" instead of the approved term. The joke mocks how rigid corporate language has become, and how a single verbal misstep can cost a job—exposing the pretentiousness and fragility of white-collar professionalism. The lower cartoon titled **"Strange!"** depicts a mother teaching children prayers. One child asks God to make her a "good girl," while another requests God make her "sister a good girl"—the humor lying in sibling rivalry disguised as piety. This gentle domestic satire reflects period attitudes about children, morality, and family dynamics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Position Wanted | AM an advertising man. Or rather, I was. 1 always called = my — customers “clients.” I knew the difference between “con urt of sumer appeals” and “ appeals.” I referred to our office ur shop.” I called my co-workers “the staff.” Specifically, I spoke of them as ” tact men,” ce ‘account executives,” “vis ud organization ualizers,” merchandising counsels,” And the the outfit.” I never 1 “All right” when I could “O. K.." nor “I underst there was a chance for “Check!” Whenever I about advertis! as a whole I say when ve a man any figures I was careful to say I got them through “a trade survey” or “a market investigation.” I the rules of “the adver- t this morning I slipped. “chief"—heard_ me to tell a caller I obeyed tising game, The boss—I telling the office mean hoy “NO, MAMMA, THE STATISTICIAN PLACES THE YEA TO SEE HOW PAR when I thar I meeting” should have said “in c was “in a nierence.” So he fired me (“let me out”). And now I'd like to go to work A.C. M. Addr. OUNG MAN three years old! So you're ninety And what, may I ask, is your philosophy of life? Ovo Man: Keep on living “SAY ‘PLEASE, GOD, MAKE ME A Goo GIRL.” sister A Goon Lam GOOD, DEAR COD, PLEASE MAKE k's OUTPUT OF CK THEY WILL REACH Strange! M ARY had a OF simpl A laugh, a tear A dry bucol The ¢ ic joke nned the simple play his © My dear y ran s¢ ht ven nights wr y's ran two years a * —- —n ° SSomorty Hore SMITH LV. comicbooks.com