Life, 1927-11-24 · page 16 of 44
Life — November 24, 1927 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine presents a satirical diary entry mocking upper-class social pretensions. The main illustration shows an American missionary surrounded by wealthy tourists in what appears to be an exotic setting. The humor centers on the contrast between Mrs. Pop's claimed pious devotion (she skipped All Saints' Day services for social engagements) and her actual priorities—playing cards, attending lunches, and socializing with English society women. The lower cartoon depicts two men (Johnson and Jackson) discussing their travels to Yokohama, with the joke being they encountered the "smiths of Yokohama" rather than learning anything meaningful about the culture. The satire targets wealthy Americans' superficial engagement with both religion and world travel, treating exotic experiences as social accessories rather than genuine cultural encounters.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Nes Peps Diary November The first All Saints Day in many years on 1st ; ee which I did not go to church, but I was able to make an appointment with my hairdresser at no other hour than that of divine service, so must needs content my- self with the close proverbial prox- imity of cleanliness and godliness, a solace I should have lacked had I foregone my devotions for cards or Johnson: 80 you’VE TAKEN THAT ORIENTAL TRIP, HAVE you? YOU'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE LURES OF HONOLU Jackson: We DIDN'T MEET THEM some such worldly pursuit, and God does indeed know that I could not have kept my dinner engagement this night without being properly sham- pooed and coiffed. All the morning gone in sewing my favorite tea, another consignment of which I have at last managed to obtain, into littl cheesecloth bags, a proceeding which does probably cause William Cowper to toss about in his grave, but tea strainers have always been an abom- ination to me, in especial when I am 1 SUPPOSE vu. BUT WE WENT AROUND A LOT WITH THE SMITIIS OF YOKOHAMA, American Missionary (beholding a group of American tourists): AND TO THINK IVE BEEN AWAY FROM HOME FOR TWENTY YEARS, TRYING TO TEACH THE SOUTH SEA 1 NDERS TO WEAR CLOTHE! And whilst I was about it, a great box was brought in to me from the Southlands Products Com pany of Houston, Texas, containing twelve jars of fine preserved figs, and putting me in a pl t glow for the day, for such generous ges- tures from strangers do a good deal to counteract what we do in the headlines and in realistic fiction. To Agatha’s for luncheon, overeating. like a fool, on oyster patties, and there was a woman there who did tell how her prim English waitress, who had never uttered a superfluous syllable or moved a facial muscle since she was hired, had, after a luncheon given for the débutantes, held up for proprietary inspection a fine cloth marred by cigarette burns with the simple comment, “Flaming youth.” Fell to cards, playing with such a combination of skill and good fortune (Please turn to page 34) in haste. comicbooks.com