Life, 1928-12-07 · page 14 of 64
Life — December 7, 1928 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes filial neglect through "The Love-Your-Mother Corporation," a mock business service. The central cartoon depicts a man writing letters to his mother on behalf of negligent sons—the joke being that some men are so remiss in their duties that they require a hired service to maintain the relationship. The accompanying advertisement-style text mocks this neglect while paradoxically offering to solve it. It criticizes sons who ignore aging mothers, particularly those living alone or on farms, while offering solutions like sending flowers, tobacco, and surprise packages. The lower cartoon shows a mother with children at Christmas, with a caption about Santa arriving "from way up in North America, on a battleship"—likely referencing WWI naval activities, though the exact reference is unclear without additional context.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Saas L FE PPL al THE LOVE-YOUR-MOTHER CORPORATION 7 Pavort weitte tO my mo0ne ‘ LOP STK TO IS. VVINCA @ The nen who doesnt — (An Advertisement, Maybe) Have you a dear old mother in some dis- tant city or ‘way down on the farm? Do you love her? If so, put her completely in our hands and let us be a loving son or daughter to her. Get over that guilty feeling you now have most of the time because you neglect her—the best friend you ever had. We do everything. Once a week we send her a master mother letter, written by one of our ex- perts. Frequently we send her flowers, candy, tidbits, smoking tobacco, old razor blades, and other knickknacks to let her know you love her. On Mother's Day we send her a special surprise pack- age, and at Christmas we simply knock her eyes out with lovely presents. At the end of the first year of our service your mother will be a different mother. Your attentiveness will have put pounds on her, and smiles will beam on the dear old face where once dwelt lines of care. She will wonder what has come over you and she will think that at last you have become the kind of son or daughter she has always wanted you to be. Our letters ring true. They are form letters, but they reach the mother heart, and they are signed with a rubber stamp of your own signature, We guarantee that they cannot be told from genuine letters by anybody over sixty-five years old. Page 28 —- oS) Te SN man who does? This corporation was formed by men | who had mothers themselves and_ still have them. They know what mothers want. We realize that mothers want to know the little things rather than the big | things, so we talk about your catching cold and then about your getting over it, and things like that. You may be a railroad president to some people but you are only a little boy to your mother. Your mother writes to you, doesn't she? Then write to her. Put your mother on our mailing list today. Remember, our service covers the en- tire mother situation. We Periodically warn her not to fall down the cellar stairs, and we urge her to eat more, and we keep at her all winter to be careful about slippery sidewalks and such. We give her the nagging she expects from you. If you love YOUR mother, put her in the hands of this old established house, Sign up today for our love-your-mother service, and forget her! Don Herold, TRIOLET CONCERNING A PAS SIONATE YOUNG MAN Love is for the Livers, “And Life for those who Love. His every neurone quivers! Love is for the Livers: He soars above the rivers Of indiff'rence like a dove. Love is for the Livers, And Life for those who Love! Peter, CHRISTMAS AFTERNOON (In the Home of a Mental Efficiency Expert) Morner: Shush! Children, you must be quiet. Your father’s gone to his room to ignore the January bills. Way not a motion picture written expressly for Greta Garbo entitled, “The Clinging Fool’? Sout American Motner: And this Christmas Santa Claus is coming to you from ‘way up in North America, on a battleship. comicbooks.com