Life, 1924-07-17 · page 21 of 36
Life — July 17, 1924 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces from *Life* magazine: **"Times and Customs Change But—"**: A racist dialect joke playing on Prohibition-era hypocrisy. An African American man ("Uncle Rastus") is arrested for attempting to break into what he thought was a chicken coop, but it's now the Colonel's illegal distillery. The humor relies on period racial stereotypes and mocking Black vernacular speech. **"Bank Notes"**: A series of humorous one-liners satirizing banking practices—skepticism about bank math, inability to dispute bank statements, and the etymology of "teller" (supposedly from a cashier telling an assistant to "tell her" how checks work). **"Education"**: A brief anecdote mocking parental hypocrisy: a father who resented his own strict upbringing swears he won't force his child into business—yet threatens to disinherit him if he doesn't study medicine instead. The page also includes a small cartoon about labor and capital (unclear without full context) and brief items about Babe Ruth and a new New York newspaper.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE - 19 ke TIMES AND CUSTOMS CHANGE BUT—— Judge: UNCLE RASTUS, YOU ARE CHARGED WITH AN AT- TEMPT TO BREAK INTO COLONEL CABEL’S CHICKEN Coor. Rastus: XO, SAH, JEDGE, DAT AIN'T NO CHICKEN COOP NO MOAH, DAT'S DE COLONEL’S DISTILLERY NOW, SAH. Bank Notes SHIER who is short in the bank will probably be long in jail. A A bank vault is a place where your money is kept safe from everybody except gunmen and bank officials. eee eee Whenever the bank balances your account you begin to doubt the infallibility of adding machines. eee Your balance is the amount the bank says you have, and which you can’t disprove. eee Bankers are good Samaritans who, whenever gets “tight,” nurse him carefully until he gets over it. eee The origin of the word “teller” is this. Formerly the cashier took in and paid out the bank funds. Then came the first woman to make a deposit. The cashier endeavored to explain to her the method of using a check book. At last, exhausted, he called to one of his assistants, saying, “You tell er; I'm all in.” The assistant succeeded and the position of teller was created for him on the spot. Education R. H. EDGAR ROOMP was a firm believer in the right of the child to choose its own way in life. “I had a strict father,” said Mr. Roomp. “I wanted to be a physician but my father insisted that I go into business. Nothing like that is going to happen to my child. He's not going to be forced into business. If he doesn’t study medi- cine, I'll disinherit him.” “RABE RUTH enlisted in the National Guard and finally “He made the circuit of the army bases.” bankroll. To Any Lady HO would believe, if I should sing That you are Beauty's blossomir The essence, the embodiment Of zephyrs bearing fragrant scent? Who would believe, if I should swear That hidden buds are in your hair, And that your frank and lustrous eyes Two wondrous hemispheres comprise? Who would believe, if I should say Your glamour waxes day by day, Emblazoning an aureole About your fine, poetic soul? Who would believe? It may be, none; But this is not for every one. And while, at most, a paltry few would, There is no doubt, my dear, that you would. Arthur Kramer. . Plus-Four-Bagger found an olive drab uniform to fit him.” dow in the world did he manage that?” EW YORK has a new evening newspaper. Its pub- lishers must be optimistic about the size of the Munsey CAPITAL AND LABOR comicbooks.com