Life, 1929-04-05 · page 9 of 56
Life — April 5, 1929 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on "beach-combing" (searching beaches for valuables) alongside unrelated advertising. **The Cartoon:** A single panel by artist "Ralston Vino" depicts five well-dressed people indoors, apparently socializing or relaxing. The satire appears to mock fictional portrayals of beach-combers versus reality—the article contrasts romanticized literary "beach-combers" (shaggy, dialect-speaking outcasts in popular fiction) with actual beach-combers, who are described as "earnest, hard-working fellows" employed at fashionable resorts. **The Cartoon's Point:** Unclear from the image alone whether the depicted figures represent beach-combers themselves or the fashionable resort-goers they serve. The cartoon likely illustrates the gap between literary stereotype and mundane reality. **Advertisement:** The lower half promotes White Star Line ocean travel, emphasizing luxury cabins and mentioning the Cheshire Cheese restaurant in London—purely commercial content unrelated to the satirical article above.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Successful Beach-Combing The beach-combers of popular fic- tion are shaggy, unkempt outcasts who have thick beards, are dressed in rags, and speak the native dialect. This dialect. consists of but one word, “oompah,” which can mean practically anything, depending on the mood you happen to be in. The beach-combers of fiction are almost always in a black mood; consequently when they say “oompah” it means climb a tree as quick as you can, They are rough characters and they stand for no non- sense. Once a year (on April Fool's Day) they do stand for a little non- sense, but even then it isn’t very funny, as they have no sense of humor. Real beach-combers, however, are quite unlike their fictional _ proto- types. For the most part, they are earnest, hard-working fellows anxious to keep their jobs and make good. They ply the fashionable beaches of Miami, Jacksonville, and similar winter resorts and comb the sands for diamond necklaces, strings of pearls, etc., which have been carelessly left on the beach by the spoiled darlings of the Four Hundred, Let us pretend now that we are fol- lowing one particular beach-comber through his daily motions. We start from the Royal Poinciana at dawn (re- member, we're only pretending), and reach the waterfront after a short walk. At this hour the beach is, of course, deserted, save for a few cormorants who scem to be sleeping on one foot. They are probably faking, however. Meanwhile our beach-comber is look- ing around for his “claim.” And now the beach-comber begins to sift the sand through his trained fingers, bringing to light a curious store of treasure trove. Here is a box of gold-tipped cigarettes which Milady has allowed to drop from her hand- bag, and quite logically, too, for it is empty . . . Aha! a towel marked “Ho- tel Royal Poinciana.” And a tennis sneaker. And three white mice. Hold on! What's this hump? The beach- comber digs into the sand and after a few moments’ work lays bare an old gentleman with a newspaper folded over his face. He has been left here the previous day by some children who covered him up with sand. So goes the beach-comber’s life. Ex- citement, disappointment, surprise— who knows what the next pass of the hands will disclose? So the beach- comber gets right in there and digs, all the time crooning to himself a lit- tle melody: “I'm combing, I’m combing, For my head is bending low... ’ Norman R. Jaffray. There’s The Cheshire Cheese and a Cheshire Cheese It’s Socially Important To Know Both! IGHT you are if you think Cheshire Cheese is among the best that England offers! But, if you've never been to The Cheshire Cheese then you’ve missed a won- derful adventure. Delay no longer. Call your steamship agent and book on the next sail- ing of a White Star, Red Star or Atlantic Transport liner. Q For, of all the delightful old inns in the world, this is one of the foremost. It stands as it always did in the heart of London, on Fleet Street. And it’s just as it was when Oliver Goldsmith and Dr. Johnson frequented it for The Pudding and Scotch ale. Q The trip need not be ex- pensive. We have accommodations for every purse and plan. Any one of these ships makes the ocean voyage itself well worth while. But, of course, besides The Cheese there’s much in old London and gay Paris (you should go there) that one must know in this modern age. UNTERNATIONAL MERCANTILE MARINE De Luxe First Class Me World's Ship Olympic Homeric Belgenland Minnewaska Minnetonka From 8215, according to ship, port and eccommodations, Luxurious Cabin Class Adriatic World's largest Cabin liner Baltic Albertic Cedric Lapland Pennland Arabic From 8145, according to ship, port and accommodations, Tourist Third Cabin Minnekahda Minnesota Devoted exclusively to Tourist Third Cabin. N. tions. Rates way, 8193.51 Specially reserved Tourist Third Cabin accommodations on other steamers, one way 8102.50 (up) —round trip 8184.50 (up). Also excellent Second Class from $147.50, Sailings to all principal European ports WHITE STAR LINE RED STAR LINE-ATLANTIC TRANSPORT LINE COMPANY Ge Nw No. 1 Broadway, New York City; 180 No. Michigan Ave., Chicago; 460 Market St. San Francisco; our offices elsewhere or any authorized steamship agent. comicbooks.com