Life, 1926-09-02 · page 13 of 41
Life — September 2, 1926 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains Labor Day satirical content. The top section, "A Labor-Day Oration," presents four tongue-in-cheek labor movement talking points that Life's editors mock as naive or radical—arguing labor creates wealth, capital and labor should cooperate, labor wants only fair rewards, and union solidarity is powerful. The two illustrated cartoons support this satirical tone. "After the Brawl" depicts a violent domestic scene—a mother and child after conflict, captioned with dialogue about forgiving "Jimmy." "The Spirit of '76" shows a disheveled figure, mocking revolutionary fervor. The remaining content includes "The Meeting" (a dialogue between Bill and Jack about a newborn and sold story) and "Poorer Richard" (a Benjamin Franklin quip about death and taxes, updated to reference 1926 traffic deaths). The satire targets both labor radicalism and contemporary social concerns.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Labor-Day Oration OR Labor-Day orators who Fi: been making the same speech every year for twenty- five years, and who may feel the need of new material, we append a few points that so far have never been used: 1. Labor creates all wealth. (While this is a little daring, don’t be afraid to make the most of it. The idea is so new that no one will be in a position to contradict you.) 2, Labor and Capital should go hand in hand. (This is perfectly safe, and will make a big hit with the advertisers in the Special Edition of the Labor Press.) 3. Labor wants nothing but its just deserts. (Should please everybody. The conservatives will say, “That's reasonable,” and the radicals will mutter, “Absolutely, and we know what they are.”’) 4, In Union there is Strength. (Unique. Should get big hand. Tell story about man who unsuccessfully tried to break bundle of twigs, then broke them easily one by one. Quote Lincoln.) A. Watkins. vA Xs ie The Spirit of '76 PITCHER’S GREAT-GREAT- GRANDDAUGHTER KEEPS HER POWDER DRY. MOLLY After the Brawl Mother: pip you Froraive simMy? Freddy: naw! 1 COULDN’T CATCH HIM. The Meeting (Bill, an author, who has just received his first check for a story, meets Jack, who is the father of a new-born baby.) ILL: Hello, Jack. Jack: Hello, Bill. Bitz: Whattaya think, Jack, «: Just a minute. Didja hear rws we—? Bit: It’s been a hard grind, but I— Jack: along— Birt: It was a story with a Chi- cago locale, and— Jack: He weighed eight pounds, and— Bit: What weighed eight pounds? The Missus is getting Jack: The baby, our baby; it ar- rived this morning. Birt: Yeah? Well, I just sold a story Jack: Yeah? Birt: Well, s‘long. Jack: S'long. (They walk in opposite direc- tions.) Bitz: Conceited ass! Jack: Conceited ass! S. A. Poorer Richard “TN this world nothing is certain but death and tay remarked old Benjamin Franklin in 1789. “He probably meant death by taxis,” corrected the side-stepping pedes- trian in 1926. comicbooks.com