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Judge, 1916-01-29 · page 27 of 28

Judge — January 29, 1916 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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Judge — January 29, 1916 — page 27: Judge, 1916-01-29

What you’re looking at

This is primarily a **book advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It's a Brunswick Subscription Company ad promoting a six-volume set of Robert Louis Stevenson's works for $1.74. The rhetorical strategy employs **moral anxiety about modern youth**: the ad opens with pointed questions attacking parents who feed children "predigested" modern "best sellers" rather than classics. It similarly shames adults absorbed in "dollar chasing" and frivolous pursuits ("fox-trotting," "movie gadding"), contrasting this with the "purer joys" of reading Stevenson in boyhood. The ad positions Stevenson as a moral corrective—his adventure tales supposedly inspire "forceful, robust manhood" without containing "an unclean thought," making him ideal for building character across all ages (18-80). **Historical context**: This likely dates to the 1920s-1930s, when modernist entertainment (cinema, jazz culture) sparked conservative concerns about declining literary values and traditional masculinity. The ad weaponizes these anxieties to sell books.

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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

In what direction is he headed ?— THAT BOY OF YOURS— AreYou Going to Make a Real Man of Him? Are you attempting to nourish his mental life on the predigested food of the modern juvenile “best seller,” or are you feeding him on the strong meat of the world’s greatest authors?—the deathless books that have stood the merciless test of time—creations of genius that fire the imagination—that have inspired boys and men to deeds of derring-do—that have created that generous freedom of spirit—that love of adventure which we are pleased to identify with the character of an American gentleman? And How About Yourself? Has the absorption of dollar chasing so warped your mental vision, that your horizon is limited to the petty confines of trade?—In an age of fox-trotting, “‘ movie” gadding—have you forgotten the purer joys of an earlier day—the delicious thrills of those hours you spent as a boy huddled over the pages of Robinson Crusoe? Among all the great authors whose stories have instilled ideas of forceful, robust manhood— that have fascinated and inspired readers of all ages, from the growing boy to boys of a larger growth from 18 to 80, there is one who stands head and shoulders above them all— Robert Louis Stevenson Another Brunswick Bargain for PROMPT Buyers Only $ 1 -74 For the Set Novels Short Stories Essays, Poems Over 250 Titles Cloth Binding Gold Decorations Volumes Large Clear Type Entrancing Stories of Adventure, Mystery and Travel— of gold-belted sailors and bristling buccaneers, of piracy and hidden treasure, of shipwreck, of dark deeds on the lonely beaches of spice- scented Isles in Southern Seas —of swaggering blades and brawls, with glimpses of shady quarters of European capitals—if you love stories of the sort that will take you out of yourself—make you forget the humdrum 20th Century with {ts stale commonplace diversions—then you will devour every one of these volumes of Robert Louis Stevenson from cover to cover. But the closest scrutiny will fail to reveal an unclean thought or suggestive line anywhere in Stevenson. His men are men of Nature's own stamp—sudden and quick in quarrel mayhap, but men of the sort that appeal to manly men. And as a story teller, Stevenson is a master of a style and art that defies imitation. Secure Your Set NOW AT A REAL BARGAIN PRICE There is no anniversary occasion for which these volumes are not appro- priate as gifts. What would tickle your boy's fancy more than “Treasure } Island?” For the younger children there is the rare “A Child's Garden of Verses,” in which Stevenson catches the beautiful spirit of childhood in a way that no other author, save Dickens, has everapproached. Whatever in life or nature Stevenson touched, he described with a familiar realism that invested the creations of his fancy with the potency and charm of actuality. ORDER TODAY The complete set is only $1.74, delivered at your door—if you are prompt. aE) Brunswick Subscription Co., 449 Brunswick Bldg., New York City Enclosed find $1.74, in full payment for the six-volune set of Stevenson. Send books, carriage prepaid, to ‘Canada, Postage Extra comicbooks.com