Life, 1928-12-14 · page 44 of 48
Life — December 14, 1928 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical story uses a fictional family dispute as an allegory for international conflict and arms control. The "Smith Family" represents nations engaged in escalating rivalries over economic competition (shopkeeping, land disputes, debts). The humor lies in applying diplomatic solutions to petty neighborhood conflicts: families threaten each other, involve their children in feuds, and nearly destroy themselves economically before deciding to draft a treaty limiting "armaments" (weapons). The satire critiques how real nations, despite devastating consequences, struggle to prevent conflicts rooted in economic competition and resentment. By shrinking the scale to a family feud, the story exposes the absurdity and preventability of larger wars—while also suggesting that even when people recognize war's futility, actually preventing it requires formal agreements and restraint. The page treats this serious topic humorously, suggesting post-WWI readers would recognize parallels to real international tensions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE PICTURE OF ANY MAN and his KREMENTZ GIFT This Christmas, as usual, Krementz Jewelry will be given in thousands of ++eand just as many thousands of men will show their appreciation of Krementz Quality. REMENTZ Wrist Watch Bands—new and different. No buckle! ==} Instead, three expanding as Fs ' on arm when washing hands. In Krementz Quality Rolled Gold Plate with leatheror flex- ible Milanaise mesh links! Prevents dropping watch. Permits watch | and strapto be slipped up ul bands—$7.50 to 815. | Also in 14kt. and 18kt. gold and solid platinum. When complet ly expanded there te all ee fort hand ince for free passage up on forearm. 1 dress set. White mother-of-pearl centers: Krementz Quality white metal rims. Com plete, $7.50. Other Sets to 850. REMENTZ Tuxedo and Full Dress Sets in widest variety of newest de- signs. As smart and as pleasing as they are socially correct. See Krementz Giit Jewelry at your dealer’s, or write for name of nearest one. emen Newark, N. J. | for relations to fight li The Smith Family Outlaws War (Continued from page 14) And, of course, since nobody had done much farming while the row was on, the crops were all spoilt. All in all, it looked like a pretty bad winter. Well, we all went home and tried to straighten things out as best we could. You'd have thought we had our bellyful of fighting, but would you believe it, before long there we all were, passing | remarks and cutting cach other on the street and kicking cach other's dogs, just like old times. Not that I can blame the | others much. You see, the trouble was, they were all trying to make a living and having a pretty hard time. The Smythes and the Schmieds just had to keep store, because they couldn't live off their farms, And that meant going after business, and they both got in each} other's way. And the Forgerons wanted Big Schmied to pay for wrecking their place, and didn’t believe him when he said he couldn't. The Fabbro place never had been very good land, and his family was getting so big they just had to move, and there wasn’t any place to go that didn’t belong to somebody else. None of them liked us Smiths much you know how you feel when you owe money to some guy that’s got a lot more money than you have. Altogether, things looked pretty black. We knew that if we ever did get into another scrap, it would be to the finish— the finish of all of us. And still, you know, we couldn't think how to avoid it. Finally some of the kids got together behind the barn one day, and then went home and had a talk with their fathers. | “Look here, Dad,” they said, “it’s silly be this. Let's all get together and talk over our troubles, and see if we can’t straighten things out once and for all.” Well, that sounded worth trying, so they called a big meeting down at the clubhouse one evening, and the heads of all the branches of the family went down to talk things over. I'll never forget that night. It was awfully late when Dad finally got home, to find us all waiting up for him; and I must say he looked mighty pleased with himself. “Boys,” he said, “it’s all settled. No more fights. We got together and wrote out a paper and gave everybody a copy, and we're all going to sign.” I tell you, we felt pretty happy. Mother even cried a little, she was so relieved. Then Dad sat down at his desk, and put on his glasses, and read the paper out to us. It went like this: Smite Famity—Liaitation oF ARMAMENTS 1. Any family desiring to start a fight with another family must give the latter written notice of its intentions, written in Ay | T share inthe pleasures ofCowes,of Henley, of Ascot—one must journey to England. But to share in the plea- sure of smoking the discriminating Britisher’s favorite pipetobacco—one need only call for CRAVEN MIXTURE, the tobacco which was the inspira. tion of Barrie’s “My Lady Nicotine.” CRAVEN MIXTURE—a truly fine imported tobacco, first blended at the command of the Third Earl of Craven in 1867—can now be had at the better | tobacconists in the United States and Canada. too. Fora liberal sample tin, send 10c in stamps to Carreras, Ltd., Dept. 30, 220 Fifth Ave., New York. Crayen Imported from London for muscular aches wick " relief comfort 4 bsorbine st? I DRUGGISTS $12 end for nal bott W.F.YOUNG, Ine. Springfield. Mass comicbooks.com