Life, 1927-01-13 · page 15 of 39
Life — January 13, 1927 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three unrelated humorous pieces targeting early automotive culture: 1. **"Lines to a Taxi-Driver"** (poem): Praises taxi drivers as hardworking heroes navigating dark city streets, suggesting their service is underappreciated—a romanticization of working-class labor. 2. **"Retort Courteous"**: A cartoon mocking Japanese English-language instruction. It portrays a Japanese instructor teaching crude English slang to students, who then awkwardly repeat phrases like "You wanna sock inna nose?" The joke relies on ethnic stereotyping, suggesting Japanese people produce comical, incorrect English. 3. **"Several Ways to Eliminate Railroad Crossing Accidents"**: A darkly humorous list sardonically suggesting car owners simply sell their vehicles to prevent accidents—critiquing reckless drivers and automobile safety concerns of the era. The satire generally targets automotive culture, linguistic mishaps, and working-class experience.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Lines to a Taxi-Driver V EARY with all-night dancing, I lie deep Within the softness of this cush- ioned seat, Grateful that you supply your car with heat, Happy to think of home and case and sleep. O hardy cruiser of the long dark strects, No frost could ever numb your cer- tain hands; Though winter holds the world in iron bands, We move as smoothly as an ode by Keats. Emerging from the fetid where I Had danced, I only soul Alive: puny and helpless. the whole Cosmos grew bright, for you came gliding by. place felt. myself the Then 1 saw you come, out of infinity— Driven by man's recurrent need for bread; And I rejoiced I'd quickly reach my bed, While you rejoiced you'd carn a coin from me.... These fleeting glimpses of the frozen park, This marvelous kaleidoscope of tall Buildings and houses—I enjoy it all Immensely, seated warmly here. But hark: It's longer than an hour since I first took Your cab; you've sampled every single road; How about driving straight to my abode? Isn't five eighty-five enough, you crook ? " Simonetta. Several Ways to Eliminate RailroadCrossingAccidents 1 Sell your car. 2—Sell your car. 3—Sell your car. 4—Sell your car. 5—If you can’t sell your car, junk it, F. R. Lidia “WHAT'S THE IDEA OF THE JONESES HIGH-HATTING US LIKE THAT? “HAVEN’T YOU HEARD? THEIR CAR HAS BEEN EQUIPPED WITH SNUBBERS!” Retort Courteous “A Japanese instructor in English has advised his charges to learn English expressions of politeness by ing into Englishmen or Americans rect and saying, ‘I beg your .'"—News Item, AKING Teacher's advice just as he gave it, the bright Japanese schoolboys went forth and collected the following gems of English: “You wanna sock inna nose?” “Do that again, ya squinny-eyed chink, an’ I'll flatten ya through the sidewalk !” “'Op it, Chop Suey, afore I brykes yer blinkin’ neck!" “Kveet pooshink, Hi'm tallink Hect like a jantlemen, not kike !” “Get the so and so and so and so to hell out of my way And that, children, is one of the many reasons why that great patriot, Mr. E. L. Doheny, got the oil con- cessions in Califor: H.W.H. The Big Mystery Reckless Motorist: My Can 18 PRACTICALLY WORN OUT RIGHT NoW, AND YoU TOLD ME IT WOULD LAST ME A LIFETIME. Salesman: WELL, 1 CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHY IT HASN'T. comicbooks.com