Life, 1925-01-08 · page 23 of 37
Life — January 8, 1925 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early automobile culture through two distinct pieces: **"Spoken by the Owner of an X-Car"** parodies Shakespeare's sonnets to mock car owners' servitude to their vehicles. The poem suggests cars demand constant attention, money, and maintenance—drivers are enslaved to repair costs and breakdowns. The joke: despite all frustration, owners will buy another identical car. This critiques both automobile dependency and the emerging consumer culture of the 1920s. **"An Interrupted Line of Communication"** depicts a horse-drawn carriage meeting an automobile on a rural road. The humor lies in the collision of old and new transportation technologies—the horse-drawn vehicle literally cannot communicate with the modern car, representing generational/technological conflict. The "Self-Talker" device is a joke about lonely bachelor drivers talking to themselves during solitary drives—a comment on both automotive isolation and urban loneliness. All three pieces mock how automobiles were transforming American life, creating new anxieties and dependencies.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Spoken by the Owner of an X: (With the Necessary Apologies to Shakespeare) E EING your slave, what can I do but tend Upon you, that were once my heart's desire? No cash nor idle hours have I to spend lf I'm to do the things that you require. scarce may I curse the world-without-end hour That I, O tyrant, on the road have lain, hinking the taste of bolts and spark-plugs sour, As I investigate your sudden pain; Nor do I question my garageman’s Dill, THE SELF-TALKER REAR SEAT DEVICE DESIGNED FOR LONELY BACHELORS . Fable Nor wonder why you have that bronchial roar, : . \ ie ( d I + Fell O upon a time there was an actor who not only isk wily, each grim day mist: real realized that his histrionic abilities were enormously limited, but likewise appreciated the fact that his salary was altogether too high. The gas-tank that was full the night before— And yet, when you pass on, as all cars do, I know I'll buy another just like you. Loretta Roche. OCTOR: It’s a boy! Younc Huspanp (solving crossword puzsle): No; 1 *Reader may supply name of any car he particularly dislikes. think it’s “lad.” The key letter is petow OF Freon cR i AN INTERRUPTED LINE OF COMMUNICATION comicbooks.com