Life, 1926-01-28 · page 32 of 36
Life — January 28, 1926 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Section:** A mock-serious proposal for "Professional Universities"—satirizing American culture's obsession with professionalism and commercialization. The piece sarcastically suggests that since sports have gone professional, why not education itself? Students would be paid employees, receive bonuses and vaudeville contracts, and compete in "professional debates." The satire mocks the reduction of learning to profit-driven enterprise. **Bottom Section:** A letter from "Big-Hearted Jim," an employer, applauding Life's upcoming issue dedicated to working girls. The joke's irony: Jim claims to support working women "first, last and all the time," yet his *actual* support consists of signing a subscription coupon while his typist is away at lunch—suggesting he's using her absence to avoid real work, undermining his stated commitment. The cartoon of the seated female office worker reinforces this contradiction between professed support and actual workplace behavior.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Professional Universities A Modest Proposal for the Extension of Strict Professionalism Now that we have professional football, baseball, hockey, cricket, ten- nis, basketball, golf, chess, checkers, pinochle and tiddledy-winks, why not ~~ — the Professional University? V4 Here lies 2 new and untouched field for Professionalism, which should yield td immense returns in sport and revenue. The idea is, briefly, that huge Pro- fessional Meges and Universities OME to the new Vinoy Park Hotel, where your should be organized, with super-pro- every desire for rest, recreation, comfort or fessional faculties of ultra-experts in has been anticipated, This distinctive hostel every known branch of learning, all looking beautiful Tampa Bay, accommodates five hun- instructing tremendous student bodies dred guests with entire comfort and convenience. of strictly professional students, and Splendid appointments . . . excellent cuisine . . . all receiving fabulous salaries. — every outdoor sport and recreation . . . a variety Any taint of amateurism in the cf enteraiameck. . a: Paul Whiemaite Vinoy students would automatically debar and Park Hotel Orchestra. . . . “Service with a Smile.” expel them. Study ld be their business in life. To insure the ab- Management: FRANK H. ABBOTT & SON solute, guaranteed professionalism of Direction of KARL P. ABBOTT such students, they would all receive pay, together with bonuses, motion- For reservations or booklet, address: A picture and vaudeville contracts, and These Professional — Universities ST. PETERSBURG Eig ie race aaa yy FLORIDA Sey ets te ce stupendous intercollegiate contests along scholastic lines. One Profes- sional University would compete with another in professional debates, in Dear LIFE: My attention has been called to the fact that you are planning to dedicate your issue of February 11 to the cause of the WORKING GIRLS of America. That's fine! Kindly enter my subscription. As an employer, I am FOR the Working Girl first, last and all the time. In the absence of my typist -who has gone to lunch for the day - N I am giving your interest- \ ing coupon on the left my personal attention. N Gratefully yours, . (Signed) > BIG-HEARTED JIM. weeks, for which ye lo One Dollar {cana- ». dian, $1.20; Foreign, $1.40). By the (Canadian, $5. comicbooks.com