Life, 1925-10-01 · page 15 of 36
Life — October 1, 1925 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces: **"Lessons in New Yorkese: A Traffic Problem"** (top) depicts a humorous exchange between a traffic cop and an "indignant miss" about street crossing. The joke relies on phonetic transcriptions of working-class New York dialect—mocking how immigrants and lower-class residents pronounced English. Lines like "Wellaya gonna crossa streetcar" satirize non-standard speech patterns. **"Beginnings"** (bottom illustration) shows a father teaching his son to cross streets safely. The caption jokes that the father hopes teaching safety will keep the boy "warm even if us ain't"—suggesting poverty and cold conditions in poor neighborhoods. Both pieces satirize immigrant/working-class New Yorkers through dialect humor and depictions of urban hardship, typical of Life's early 20th-century satirical approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Lessons in New Yorkese A Trafic Problem “YVELLAYA gonna crossa streter aincha?” “Nowlyaint gonna itilla traffic changis.” “Ofagossakes cumawn willya? Straf- changin. ‘Tony’ ess crossa street. fic dadono sworsean Worse. “Isayit. gess sworsean worse. Geb- hack onna coib will, Thinka wanna getta smackoffa bus “Youwon genno — smackoffa Themdriversis carefil. I ffem wasta sockyawon theylosa jawb.” “Yeah anwawoodI —lose—mechanst tale presiden' Gebback onna coib lyaint crossin tila traffic bus. drivers willya changis.” “Awya fulla binnanererl. Yadthink allem driverswis waitin ferra chansta benna fennerawnya.” “Yalemme alloan Gawge awyaget sumpin jussasgoodasa fener bentovaya bean innaminnit. Itallya Icross whenna gegoodan reddy.” “Welleres yachanst mawn——" Vitha flocka taxis bearin ridown— awge you gebback onna coib.” “Aw gebback inna clock. rinow. Cum- Itellya NO FLIRTING ALLOWED Trafic Cop: pIDN’T SEE ME WAVE MY ARM? Indignant Miss: CERTAINLY, AND LV IN- TEND TO REPORT YOUR ATTEMPTED FAMILIARITY, say! you wecrossin rinow. Pickupya dawgs....” “Gawge youleggo myawm stop willya lookout fathat Buick Itellyata stop nowl woggoanotha step Gawge fagos- sakes becarefil willya lookout willya lookout Imtellinya ovva truck Gawge... eee erightinna way- “Well hee yare Mae. Anyacanshoome flevva takeya acrossa_— streetagen. Nevva agensowelpme !” “Wellanevva thunk Ttwas tearabil. Oooh wewid makeit. Gaw migawd Gawge...yaknowat _ linjry shoppa stoppedin framomint “Backony othasideovva street? wattaboutit ?” “Wegotta goback Gawge glovesinnit !” Henry William Hanemann. An- lleff_ me- Beginnings T is a wise father that knows how to pick for his child the shoestring that inevitably starts him on the road to. success. “WHAT'S DE IDEA OF PAINTIN’ ¥"-ALL'S HOUSE DIS TIME YEAH?” “WELL, FOLKS’LL THINK US IS WARM EVEN IF US AIN'T.” comicbooks.com