Life, 1925-07-09 · page 18 of 42
Life — July 9, 1925 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate satirical pieces from Life magazine: 1. **"The Vicious Circle"**: Mocks the endless chain of borrowed items among neighbors. A man asks to borrow a lawn mower, only to learn it's been passed through a complex chain of borrowers (Smith→Jones→Doyle→Olson) with conflicting promises. The satire targets suburban social obligations and the impracticality of such arrangements. 2. **"The Old Home Town It Ain't"**: Jokes about modern business culture. Simpson's company is so overwhelmed with orders they can't hold meetings—presented as absurdly ironic since most business complaints centered on excessive meetings and inefficiency. 3. **"The Gay Nineties"**: A beach party fears a sea serpent sighting (referencing 1890s folklore), yet the actual humor lies in the caption's observation that sunburn anxiety was apparently greater than sea monster fear—mocking the vanity of beachgoers. All three satirize aspects of contemporary (to Life's publication) American social and business life through exaggeration and ironic twist endings.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
FILLING STATION The Vicious Circle ZIGHBOR: Oh, I say, Ginks, may I borrow your lawn mower? Gixxs: Why, Smith took it back to Jones this morning because he promised Doyle he would return it to Olson's neighbor by Monday, provided Cohen got through Sunday. THE OLD HOME TOWN IT AIN’T Practically Ruined “LJOW is Simpson getting along in business?” “Wonderfully; but he's terribly discouraged.” “How's that?” “Well, they're so busy filling and shipping orders they haven't any time to hold a conference.” THE GAY NINETIES SHOWING A JOLLY LITTLE BEACH PARTY WHOSE SWIM IS ABOUT TO BE RUINED BY A REPORT OF THE SIGHTING OF ANOTHER SEA SERPENT OFF THE JERSEY COAST. BUT GREAT AS WAS THE FEAR OF SEA SERPENTS IN THOSE HALCYON DAYS—THE FEAR OF SUNBURN WAS APPARENTLY GREATER. comicbooks.com