Life, 1928-12-07 · page 61 of 64
Life — December 7, 1928 — page 61: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Speaking of Vocabularies"**: This dialogue satirizes people who complain about others' poor vocabulary while simultaneously demonstrating abysmal vocabulary themselves. Sue criticizes the "educated classes" for lacking vocabulary and using "foul slang," yet her own speech is repetitive ("I mean," "my dear") and intellectually empty. The joke is ironic: she's oblivious to her own linguistic inadequacy while pontificating about language standards. This mocks social pretension and self-awareness gaps. **"Embarrassing Moments"**: A brief humorous scenario about bathroom exposure—a maid leaving a window blind open while the bather exits the tub, visible to neighbors in an adjacent apartment building. The caption suggests maintaining composure ("be nonchalant") by smoking a cigarette. This reflects 1920s-30s social anxieties about modesty and propriety. **"I Snap My Fingers" and "Natural Error"**: Light humor pieces about relationship dynamics and mistaken traffic signals (the "So-Called Rube" confuses red/green lights with Christmas decoration). The page is primarily **satirical social commentary** mixed with advertising.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Speaking of Vocabularies Sue: Don’t you Aonestly think conver- sation is a lost art? He: Yeah—you bet. Sue: I mean so few people have any intelligent conversation nowadays, do you know what I mean? He: Sure, it’s a fact. Sue: And as for vocabularies—prac- ticably nobody has any vocabulary, do you really think they do? He: You said it! Sue: Gosh, it simply slays me! I mean I could actually f° mad and bite myself when I talk to those kind of people be- cause I mean you just know the minute you meet them the conversation is going to be just the same thing over and over with a lot of foul slang expressions that | don't make sense sort of sprinkled here and there, do you know what I mean? He: I know—it’s the limit! Sue: Well, I think it’s just lousy be- cause I mean the very Pole who are s'posed to be the educated classes have no vocabulary or anything and just make a laughing-stock of themselves the way they talk or something. He: You got the right dope, all right. Srie: Am I right or am I right? He: J’! tell the cock-eyed world! Sue: Gosh, it’s simply marvelous to mect somebody who appreciates your viewpoint about things like that, my dear, because I mean most people haven't the EMBARRASSING MOMENTS vaguest idea how inadequate their vocabu- lary and everything is, my dear, and how simply vile they sound using all this chea| 3 slang Yd everything, do ea know wh When you are in your bath and, as you I mean? Lloyd Mayer. step out, find that your maid has left the blind up on the window facing the big apartment house next door I Snap My Finger. Sareea «+. be nonchalant ... Light a Murad. Puytitstr you feel a trifle, ee ee say, bored with/odr affair, xt bother, dear, to stifle | “85.00 paid for each EMBARRASSING MOMENT suggestion accepted. Address P. Lorillard Co, 119 West Wh St, N.Y.C." Of your tirades. Somewhere else: I a i | | LOOK OR THE NAME * ee ” yj cruising “7 I'm pro puppy: I can bristle 7 Kea pretty girl’s attack... . the Arte What was that, dear? Did you WAjstle? mediterranean ¢ Just a minute! I'll be back! On Tobacco Pouches and Wilfred J. FunkN 2 cruises for Cigarette Cases. Only gen- this winter are uine Locktites have Talon TTT descri in Hookless Fasteners. NATURAL ERROR prim $1.00 to $7.50. Cop: What’s the matter with you Write for Tubes? Can’t you see those red and green a copy ights? So-Cattep Ruse: Yes, sir. franco Cop: And yet you ignore them. belgi ue So-Cactep Ruse: I looked at them. t Rb Cop: Then if you saw them and drove samen ine by them will you tell me what you think Death arentte they are lit for? So-Cattep Ruse: Christmas. comicbooks.com