Life, 1927-05-05 · page 11 of 46
Life — May 5, 1927 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes American soldiers' post-WWI employment struggles. The top sketch depicts a domestic scene where a father asks a son about his job after graduation—a common parental question. The dialogue reveals the son works in a laundry doing menial tasks, prompting the father's disappointment. The main comic "Whattee Plice Glory?" features Chinese and Cantonese soldiers discussing the war's worthlessness. They mock the conflict as pointless, noting they're doing laundry work instead of soldiering—mirroring the American soldiers' plight above. The cartoon criticizes how returning soldiers faced unemployment and underemployment despite their service. The Cantonese setting allows satirists to universalize the post-war disillusionment affecting soldiers globally, suggesting military glory yields only menial labor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Let’s SEE, YOUR SON GRADUATED LAST YEAR, DIDN'T HE? WHAT'S HE WORKING AT Now?” “RARE “Whattee Plice Gloly?” (The scene is in an encampment of the Cantonese Army. Privates Quin, Pro and » Quo, which sound as Oriental as any names, are discovered shooting “craps,” an ancient Chinese pastime, probably invented by the Ming Dynasty.) RIVATE QUID: Yeah, I cer- tnly got it in fer this new shavey on our outfit, this here Lootenant Wong. Bawlin’ me out fer only havin’ one chopstick in me messkit at inspection! “Lieutenant,” I says, “this here’s a war an’ it’s gonna be von with bullets an’ not chopsticks.” Say, he was so mad his face turns orange. So he puts me on K. P. Private Pro: Hell, I didn’t know you was on K. P, What we got for mess to-night ? Paivate Quip: Aw, same old suey. Private Quo: Suey, suey, suey! Don’t they know how to cook anything in this man’s amy but suey? Ain't they never heard of chow mein? Paivate Quin: I don’t mind the chow so much—it's this business of our washin’ our own clothes gets my dragon. I got an uncle Chang back in the old country in Wisconsin an’ he's got a hundry of his own and would he think of washin’ his own shirt? If I'd thought I was enlistin’ in a laun- dry business instead of a army I'd of gone over with him. Private Pro: Aw, quit yer bam- boo shootin’! War's war. Private Qvo: Well, this is the damnedest poorest I ever fought in. Look at these Nankingese! A buncha gyppers if there ever one. I go into a little joint on White Cherry Petal with Little Pink Spots Street for a dish of yockmein an’ the dirty Nank that runs it tries to soak “punt esk!!!" me six yen! They think us Canton- ese are made of money! Private Pro: Some of the janes ain't so bad, though. I got me a little high-yaller baby what's a knockout. Her name’s Surface of a Lake that Mirrors Tall Green Reeds and Flying Herons, but I just call her “Surface of a Lake” for short. (“Taps,” an ancient Chinese melody signifying “lights out,” and composed by the Ming Dynasty, is sounded outside on a Chinese banjo, or whatever they call those squeaky things. Privates Quip, Pro and Quo hastily drape a blanket over a crack in the door.) Private Quip: Shoot the ten sen! Privates Pro and Quo: You're faded! Tip Bliss. Lunch Chat AE: What'd ya buy a revolver > Susie: Fer y hope chest, comicbooks.com