Life, 1926-12-23 · page 6 of 37
Life — December 23, 1926 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top illustration satirizes women's fashion evolution, with a dialogue contrasting Edna's current "simple and unaffected" charm against her appearance "last year when she was doing the worldly-wise sophisticate"—mocking the rapid shifts in women's style and affected mannerisms. The editorial "Uncle Shylock" attacks international oil schemes, specifically referencing the Fall-Doheny trial (a major 1921-1924 scandal involving oil reserves and bribes). The cartoon depicts Japan recognizing its "groceries"—implying Japan's dependence on American oil supplies. The satire criticizes those profiting from the scheme while questioning whether the U.S. government deserves credit for patriotic defense versus simply pursuing profit. "The Password" joke mocks magazine naming conventions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mary: yes, nut you HE nasty cracks continually being directed at this country by other nations have caused us, personally little resentment. “We are not,” we have declaimed, hotly, “a nation of money grubbers! We are not prone to forget the glori- ous deeds which made the world safe for us and to remember only the footings of the balance sheet! We are not...” And now, just as we have worked ourselves up into a patriotic frenzy, along comes this Fall-Doheny trial —and we are cast from the heights into the veriest slough of doubt. What can we say for a na- tion which places as defend- ants before the bar of jus- tice two white-souled, self- abnegating patriots whose sole thought was to save their native land by check- mating, through the estab- lishment of Hawaiian filling stations, the crafty Japs? You won't believe it, but a A 18 CHARMID SHOULD HAVE SE WORLDLY-W SOPHISTICATE. 1E WAS DOING THE Uncle Shylock—An Editorial scheme was afoot to attack us from the rear in 1921—a scheme so cun- ningly concealed that no one was aware of it but the Messrs. Doheny and Fall; not even Tokio knew about it! By getting individual control, you see, of all the available supply of fuel oil in the United States, these two men, alone and unaided, pro- posed to thwart the wily Mongols by having the said oil available for YARAD = HIAD ¥A32090 HE KNOWS HIS GROCERIES fuclling our ships; and a very neat scheme it was, too. But does Uncle Sam appreciate their services? Does he give them credit whatever? No! just be- cause a paltry hundred thousand dollars changed hands, of which he got none, he turns on his defenders id prosecutes them. Always think- ing of money, money, money! “Uncle Shylock” is right! The Password POSTMASTER: This is- sue of your magazine, Guffaws, is too suggestive; we can not allow it in the mails—as it stands Pusuisner: G Scott! what shall I do about it? Postmaster: Change the name of your publication to Art and Guffaws. Be: Have you hard our new preacher yet? Bano: No. My radio i out of order. comicbooks.com