Life — December 5, 1930 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily an **advertisement for American Telephone and Telegraph Company** (Bell Telephone System), occupying the top half with the headline "Their words have wings as swift as light." The accompanying image shows what appears to be people in an interior space, illustrating the ad's message about instantaneous long-distance communication connecting people across the continent. The right column contains unrelated **quotations from public figures** (F. Phillips from Cornell, Huey P. Long, Jim Tully, Calvin Coolidge, and others) offering brief opinions on various topics—unemployment, fashion, patriotism, and social matters. Below are brief **humorous exchanges** ("How to Be a Social Success in Washington," "Nose Comfort," "Another Thin Excuse," "Yes"), presenting satirical quips rather than substantive jokes. The page is essentially a **hybrid of corporate advertising and opinion/humor content**, typical of Life magazine's format during this era.