Life, 1925-02-19 · page 7 of 37
Life — February 19, 1925 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical humor pieces rather than political cartoons. The main illustration depicts a clerk in a store struggling with a customer over collars—a comedic dialogue about retail customer service. The humor relies on the clerk's frustration with the customer's indecisiveness and constantly changing requests for different collar styles. Below, "As the Advertising Writers Would Tell It" parodies advertising copy by retelling the cherry-tree anecdote about young George Washington in exaggerated, flowery promotional language—satirizing how advertisers dramatize mundane stories. The other brief pieces ("The Daily Duodecimal," "A Good Joke") are short humor columns unrelated to politics. This appears to be a general humor and satire page typical of early 20th-century Life magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Service with a Smile” (I's the slogan of all up-to-date stores, but what will be the effect on the clerks? This?) USTOMER: I want a couple of collars, size fifteen and a half. Cirrk (gayly) : How many, old bull neck? Customer: What's that—bull neck? Curkk (roguishly): Now, now, Herbert! The voice with the smile wins, remember. Customer: Shut up. Are you going to give me those collars? Cirxk (laughing heartil some Fido? stomer: Say, listen, you—— ha twinkle): Or perhaps a nice, soft horse collar. Eh? Customer (gritting his teeth): I said | wanted collars. How ) fancy nickel-plated dog about yly): You're not of a horse's neck, are you, you y-breaker ? oOMER (hanging weakly onto the unter): Collars! Collars! K (chuckling): As the old fel- id, “A collar! A collar! My liom for a collar!” Customer (hoarsely): A please, please, a collar! Crexk (playfully): All right, I've got one. Guess which hand it's in. Customer (feebly): Collars. Crerk (chidingly): Oh, come on, inking collar, thining) : Let me alone. in't done nothing. Cierk (good-naturedly) : Oh, well, if you won't. But I think you might. Customer (pleadingly) : Aw, let me go. Iet me gol! Cierk (with great good humor): All right, old thing. Here’s your neck- piece. Tal Ta! Regards to the missus! (Customer staggers out. Clerk turns to mother clerk.) Yes, sir—that “service a smile” idea certainly wins. The ‘0 sell a customer these days is to kid ‘im along. John C. Emery. The Daily Duodecimal Voice OVER PHONE: Hello, is this the Board of Health? Orrictat. (answering): Yes, ma'm. Voice: Will you kindly tell me how the second exercise goes? My Victrola is broken. Experimental Chemist: AND TO THINK, WITH THAT TEST TUBE WE HAD THE NEXT WAR AS Goon as won! As the Advertising Writers Would Tell It EORGE WASHINGTON'’S father had just inquired if he had cut down the cherry tree. “Yes, Father, I cannot tell a lic.” answered little George. “I did it with my little hatchet.” “Whose make of hatchet is it, my son?” asked the parent. “It is the famous Super Steel Brand made by Willoughby & Jefferson, In- corporated,” replied the youngster. “Then the cutting was quite all right. The Super Steel Hatchet is the finest on the market, it strikes a blow that is clean, sharp, and decisive, and I will have no other brand upon the planta- tion. You did well to choose so reliable a tool.” F. B. M. “It's a Long Ride, but—” BOUT the time he moved out to Peekskill, Psmith dropped in to announce his move from Manhattan. “Of course, it’s a long ride,” he ad- mitted, “but the scenery is wonderful Light and air, and all the shifting pano- rama of Nature. Too bad you have to ride in the subway, where you can't sec a thing,” he added patronizingly. That very day Psmith succumbed to the lure of the Crossword Puzzle. He doesn't know yet on which side of the tracks the Hudson River lies. A. H. A Good Joke "ATHER (to son returning to col- lege) : Don't you want some money? So: No; thanks just the same, Dad. I have some left from last term. comicbooks.com