Life, 1927-11-03 · page 28 of 44
Life — November 3, 1927 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains two satirical pieces: **"All Over the Country"** mocks American business culture and superficial conversation. A young man brags about traveling fifty thousand miles without seeing the ocean, revealing his ignorance; a fat drummer expresses astonishment. The joke satirizes both the traveler's obliviousness and the drummer's gullibility. **"In the Right Spirit"** satirizes the Rotary Club (a service organization for businessmen) by imagining King Albert of Belgium attending a lunch meeting. American businessmen treat him as merely another peer, discussing him like a "bank vice-president" rather than royalty. The humor comes from the mundane, corporate way they interact with actual royalty—reducing him to business jargon and organizational structure. References to a five-year-old Rumanian child (likely Leopold III's heir) and actress Jackie Coogan add contemporary detail, but the core satire targets how American business culture flattens all distinctions into corporate speak.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
26 Life To Her Lover In the Right Spirit Who Writes Her Poetry “Ring Albert of the Relgians is a Rotarian.”"—Netws Item PAkvos, pray, Sweet William, Scene: A Rotary Club Lunch. Well, well. Always wanted to meet ay . MR. TWOOL (entering suddenly a guy in the king game. Must be Mentioning such a touchy sub DX with the King of Belgium): interesting. How's business? Ject, but there's no use deny- Boys—meet Al- . Aupent (mod- Ing that you deserve my rub bert, Rex ; LY j _estly): Well, 1 Bing it out your vers- Tir Boys (in \ got a. pretty Es which you, alas, contin- chorus) good order last Ue to pen despite my curs How d'ye do, week from the Ing you out beeause you thin Albert’ Rex, } Emperor of K that I'll be simply flat- how d'ye do: , Japan, What Tered by this peculiar froz- How d'ye do, was it now... En pretentious sort of chat Mbert Rex, i the Order of the Ter. Why don’t you write in prose! how d'ye a ; pe mm | y pnperial Ri ce * ” ow dye ¢ a e's” with Ernest Vo Heyn. Bo Albert : 4 ! Crossed. Cherry Rex, Blossoms. All Over the Country Don't” take Surepy: Fine! “yi said the Young Man any rub- \ Mt! They all help I've traveled over fifty thou- berchecks, . sand miles and have never seen the How dye do, Say—I see they f got a five-year ocean.” Albert Rex, %,. old kid at’ the “My goodness!” exclaimed the how do'ye do. ; head of the firm Fat Drummer. “Is it possible?” A Mr. Smeepy in Rumania “Yes. I'm a Notre Dame foot- (comingup): — Gantry: vip you exsov europe? That's a hot onc ball player.” Sit «down here; Babbtite avo. ‘soso. sioee: GON: woot: You Mr. Rex. Glad youxpep roreioNens tap tHe Nerve Said it. Ud like to meet you. to say “iri DIDN'T LIke THEIR CouN- to see a five name. Shellac. cae Yeo” my business Twoot: Al is Why, a five-year in the king game, himself. Hey, Al? old kid can't even play a decent Sueepy: The king game, eh? - of golf Smeepy: Well, he isn’t. exactly running things, is he? I figure, now, a king is sort of like a bank vice-president, these days sort doo-dab on the letter head—no offense to you, Al. You probably make a pretty good thing out of it, don't you? Avpert: I make out. That is, I make out Twoor: Still, it’s a comic thing about that five-year-old kid in Ru- mania. Sort of like having Jackie non your board of directors Meepy: Say—that isn't a bad huneh, J.D. Mind if I use it? Twoor: ahead, D. J. Can't sec how you are going to tie up Jackie Coogan with shellac. Sweepy: That's up to my execu- tives. Tie anything up with shellac if you have good executives. You got good executives, Rex? Apert: Best in the world. You know my business is very peculiar Very individual. Fact is, we're all just like one great big happy family. Him: No, UM NEVER GOING TO MARRY UNTIL THE PERFECT WOMAN 18 MADE. Smeevy: That's the stuff. Pro Her: ou, MR. MARCHBANKS, TIS Is sO SUDDEN! mote good (Please turn to page 39) comicbooks.com