Life, 1929-04-19 · page 24 of 52
Life — April 19, 1929 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents early 20th-century American humor through three distinct formats: **"Thoughts While Shaving"** is a stream-of-consciousness monologue capturing a working man's anxious morning ruminations—worried about asking his boss for a raise, marriage prospects, financial obligations, and romantic entanglements. It reflects working-class anxiety and the era's social expectations around marriage and economic security. **The cartoon scenes** satirize wealthy absurdity: a rich man (Mr. Uffington Billyuns) employs servants to count his sheep; a husband seeks companionship closer to his "shoulders" (marital complaint); a professor excitedly claims atoms lead "double lives" (mocking pseudo-scientific pretension). **Brief joke exchanges** mock inefficiency (piano tuning by mail) and contain period wordplay ("fuel like an old fuel"). The humor reflects 1920s-era concerns: class disparities, marriage friction, financial stress, and intellectual pretension. The magazine's satirical voice targets both working-class anxieties and upper-class ridiculousness.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Thoughts While Shaving “Every morning you shave ‘em off and every morning there they are again .. This is getting me down « . « Guess I'll grow a beard—a long grey beard . . . Beard the lion in his den... Ask him for the raise he's been promising me all year. . . . Sup posing he gives it to me? I won't have any more excuse for not getting married . . . Woman is the warrior’s relaxation . . . Nietzsche said thar— the chump ... I'd like to see him relax when Bunny’s around! Must call her up today. ... Also pay my life insurance . . . Dead, but he just won't lic down... That's) me... but considering I only had four hours’ sleep, I don’t feel bad... I've felt worse... Can’t remember exactly when... Guess I'll take a cold shower . . . When April showers—oh, shut up, you idiot . . . They bring the flowers that bring the—Gee, mustn't forget to send Eleanor some flowers -..Say it with flowers . . . Say what? “Listen, dizzy, how long do you think I’m going to bankrupt my- self taking you out and get nothing in return?” The Law of Diminish- ing Returns . . . Mine have been di minishing steadily for the last three years... Over the hill to the poor- house... When are you going to start saving some money, imbecile? Carnegie said that any young man who couldn’t save money—he would make some crack like that . . . If I had his sock, I could save money, too... It seems that a couple of Scotchmen were —that reminds me .. . Must call up Joe and bawl him out, the dirty crook « « « Seventy-five a case for caramel ex- tract, water and horse-liniment!” Robert Lord. Mr. ]. Uffington Billyuns has one of the under footmen count his sheep for him. Mrs. Rass: My son is learning to tune pianos by mail. Mrs. Gass: How nice! When he has learned how, we'll mail him our piano for a tuning. Succesten Stocan FoR STANDARD On Gasouine: There’s no fuel like an old fuel. “Professor, why are you so agog?” The motorist hopes to die with his “Marvelous! I just discovered a couple of atoms leading a double lifel” boots on the gas. comicbooks.com