Life, 1928-01-12 · page 16 of 39
Life — January 12, 1928 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate humor pieces: 1. **"Two La Salle Owners Converse"**: A dialogue between car owners discussing a trip to Brittany, mixing English with French phrases ("pour le sport," "mon vieux"). The humor relies on casual affectation of French language among the wealthy. 2. **"Modishly Modern"**: Satirizes overly literal reading of romantic literature. A publisher corrects an author's phrase "knelt and raised the hem of his sweetheart's skirt" to the more explicit "knelt and raised his lips to the hem of her sweetheart's shirt"—mocking prudish editorial standards. 3. **"The Voice of Virtue"**: Features a motorist's extended monologue using repeated "I sezz" (dialect speech) to criticize two-faced moralists who lecture others while behaving badly themselves. The cartoons mock class pretension, literary censorship, and hypocrisy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
14 Two LaSalle Owners Converse “AH my dear friend Harry! Com- ment ga va?” “Je me porte bien, thanks. Is this your new car?” “Yes, Harry, this is le nouveau. How do you like it?” “It's great, Tom. I see you're all ready for le depart.” “Yes, we're off for Brittany to- morrow. Just pour le sport.” “Of course, mon vieur. Well, I wish you luck. Are those Kelly- Springfield pneus on your wheels?” “You bet, Harry. No déconfiture de pneus for me this trip!” “Well, so long, Tom.” “So long, Harry....Say, by the way, could you manage to lend me deux cent francs until demain?” “Comment?” Norman R. Jaffray. Modishly Modern AUTHOR (reading from manu- script): “He knelt and raised the hem of his sweetheart’s skirt to his lips.” Frienv: Stop! That should read, “He knelt and raised his lips to the hem of his sweetheart’s skirt.” Motorist (proposing): Dearest, I adore you! Will you be my back-seat driver? Sue: It’s all right, officer; this gentleman is a friend of mine. The Voice “Se I sezztooum, I sezz, ‘I ain’t gonno yoosfa any sush remarks azzat whassoever, Misser Henner- son,’ I sezz. ‘If ya conscience azza gennleman is sassfied with enny sush two-face remarks azzat,’ I sezz, ‘I certny have nothinta say,’ I sezz. ‘That ainnunna my bizniss,’ I sezz, ‘an yar at libaty ta say alla them two-face things ya wanna,’ I sezz, ‘ifya think thassa sorta thing a gen- nleman is gonna say ta his guyl escort,’ I sezz, of Virtue ‘they doenappeel ta me inna lease,’ I sezz, ‘an,’ I sezz, ‘I puff-fur ta be abul ta have sumpm ta say aboutha sorta connersashun thass carried on ce,’ I sezz, ‘annif,’ I a gotta carry on enny sush two-face connersashun azzat, ya'll haffa fina nuther puysun ta lis- sen ta ya,’ I sezz, an onnissly, Aver- leeter, he never sezz anuther wuyd alla way home!” H.F. ‘annif ya sassfied withat sorta thing,’ I sezz, ‘wy thass intiely upta you,’ I sezz, ‘an,’ I sezz, ‘I womake no remarks aboutit whassoever,’ I sezz, ‘but, I sezz, ‘ifya gonna make enny sush two-face remarks azzat immye presence,’ I sezz, ‘ya'll juss haffa fina nuther guyl escort ta (7 GSS (VE Gone | ABour AS FAR AS | CAN GO IN THE BIG CAR { ) c PARK THE MOTERR CAR OUT A Fil MILES FROM DomwTOWN spenya eve with,’ I sezz, ‘becauze,’ I sezz, ‘I doelikem two-face re- marks attol,’ I sezz, ‘annif ya expeck meta laff attem,’ I sezz, ‘ya very mush mistaken,’ I sezz, ‘because,’ I sezz, ‘I never laffat enny sush Ve | CAN CHECK | THIS ONE \ (IN Some § PARCEL ROOM two-face remarks, as I don’t thinkare inna lease bit funny,’ I sezz, AND FIN'SH THE TRIP IN THE BABY MINIATURE CAR. One Car for Riding and a Spare Car for Parking. comicbooks.com a2