Life, 1928-01-05 · page 34 of 34
Life — January 5, 1928 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising and contests** with limited satirical content. **Advertisements**: Three major ads occupy the left side—Pickwick Ale (playing on "Pickwick Papers," suggesting whimsical humor), and Kermath boat engines (straightforward product promotion). **Contest**: The right side announces Life's "All-America Travel Contest," where readers spot errors in letters from "Kay Vernon" describing U.S. cities. This is an interactive reader engagement device common to 1920s magazines. **Satire**: The poem "The Head Waiter" (bottom right, attributed to Arthur L. Lippmann) gently mocks restaurant hierarchy—comparing a head waiter's autocratic power over staff to kings and czars, while emphasizing the deference required when approaching this petty tyrant. It's mild workplace satire about service-industry pretension, using mock-heroic language. The overall page reflects Life's mix of advertising revenue, reader contests, and light comedic verses.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Get the solution out of Resolution by picking PICKwIck E «xd STOUT The Tang of Good Old Ale It’s the finest kind of a Safety First Campaign plus beverage satisfac- =a tion. At the better Clubs, Hotels and Restaurants Bortled only at the brewery of HAFFENREFFER © CO., Boston Here is your ideal boat engine. Simple to operate—nothing to get out of order— surprisingly economical. Rugged con- struction—built of quality materials, Each Kermath is a beautiful clean cut piece of modern engineering. Thousands. of satisfied users. If you want the last word in an up to date marine motor, get the facts about the famous Kermath. Write for catalog. OK Kermath Always Runs” 3 to 150 H. P. KERMATH MANUFACTURING COMPANY $870 Commonwealth Ave., Detroit, Mich. 90 King St. W., Toronto, Ontario. CONDITIONS OF THE ALL-AMERICA TRAVEL CONTEST HIE object in this Contest is to detect and correct the mistakes in Kay Vernon's letters—the seventh of which appears in this issue. (See page 9.) Subsequent letters will appear every week in Lire up to the February 9th issue, when the twelfth and final letter will be published. Kay Vernon's tour will cover most of the principal cities of the United States, and each week her letters include de- scriptions of the scenes and places she has visited. In these descriptions will be many errors and inaccuracies. , Every answer to this Contest must take the form of a letter to Kay Vernon, telling her what mistakes she has made, and correcting those mistakes. It is important that each answer submitted must be marked with the corresponding number of Kay’s letter. The prizes will be awarded to those who detect and correct the greatest number of mistakes in each of Kay’s letters, and who express themselves most effectively in their letters to her. Answers to this Contest do not have to be humorous or elaborate in presentation. concise and to the point. Answers are limited to four hundred words each. There is no limit to the number of answers any one contestant may submit. The answers to each of Kay’s letters will be judged sepa- rately and the weekly prizes awarded accordingly. The grand prizes will be awarded to those who have the best record throughout the Contest as a whole. It is not necessary to answer all of Kay's letters to be eligible for the grand prizes. All answers to this Contest must be addressed to KAY Vv NON, LIFE, 598 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK cITY. Answers to Kay’s SEVENTH LETTER must reach Lire’s office not later than 12 noon on Thursday, January 26th. An- nouncement of the winners will appear in the February 16th issue of Live. All answers must be typewritten, or rcritten legibly and neatly, using one side of the paper only, Each sheet of manu- script must be marked with the contestant’s name and address. In the event of a tie, the full prize will be given to each tying contestant. It is not necessary to be a subscriber to Lire in order to compete. The Contest is open to every one, except members of Lire’s staff and their families, The Judges will be three of the Editors of Live, whose de- cision will be final. They must be clear, The Head Waiter H E strides like a czar through the dining-room’s clatter— ° He's Lord of the Larder, he’s Prince of the Platter. Adored by the ladies, he barks at his nervous Assistants who follow his Standards of Service. Oh, kings may have castles And thousands of vassals, But hail to one greater— The gorgeous Head Waiter! When greeting this noble, one must be a friend to Some person of note or he'll not condescend to Acknowledge the presence of one who thus blunders— ‘Though five-dollar bills, magic workers of wonders, When pressed on His Highness Dispel all his shyness And quickly he’s able To find one a table. If I were a lad with my future before me My course would be clear, and I know you'd encore me. I'd not be a banker, a judge or physician; No, I'd have a higher, a nobler ambition— To be that resplendent, Aloof, independent, Transcendent Dictator— The Haughty Head Waiter! Arthur L, Lippmann, THE DEVINE HALLENBECK COMPANY, INC, PRINTERS, NEW YORK comicbooks.com