Life, 1903-08-27 · page 18 of 20
Life — August 27, 1903 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page mixes satirical commentary with period advertising. The left side contains brief humorous anecdotes mocking contemporary concerns—food safety anxieties, hotel etiquette, and financial pretension—typical of Life's "Our Foolish Contemporaries" section, which satirized everyday social absurdities. The right side features a **Schlitz beer advertisement** cleverly structured as social commentary. It argues that Schlitz *could* cut production costs dramatically (cheaper materials, less filtering, skipping sterilization) yet charges standard prices anyway. The implication: Schlitz maintains premium quality and safety standards competitors might skip, justifying the price. This was likely responding to competition from cheaper beers. Below are advertisements for **Old Crow Rye whiskey** and **H.B. Kirk whiskeys**, emphasizing handmade quality and aged superiority. The humor works on two levels: genuine satire of contemporary foolishness plus sophisticated advertising that *uses* satire to position Schlitz as the ethical choice in an era of food-safety scandals.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OuR FOOLISH NTEMPo! FCOD THEORIES no salicylic meats Preservatives of borax fail To shake our mental placidity. ¢ know they are We Could brew beer for half our cost But tremble lest we 1 THE COLORADO SPECIAL One night Chicago to Denver, Only two nights en route the Atlantic seaboard, Chicago, Union Pactfic and materials. Northwestern Live, library car, Pullman drawing-room sie cars, free reclining ch ing cars, dining cleanliness. r cars and day ¢ e8 Chicago 6:90 P. swer a fool according to your folly.— LATEST NEWS FROM BELGRADE. After prayers the Skuptsbin beer would then cause bi Sporting Times. Epagwoop Iyx, G Sound shore for critical New good form not to wear a watch with a dress “Because I never bi my watch and my dr suit at the sa r L VENOOME, BOSTO privacy of bome. NT: By the way Mr. Slowman, can you OWMAN: That little M, I should say not. Why, T can't even pay to yourself to visit Yellowstone Ps Uke his new work? —— THE BEER | THAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS. | ter with it except Hearn of body and s biood and nerves. We could cut down half on We could save what we spend on | We could cease filtering our air. We could send out the beer with- out aging it for months — but the ousness. We could save what it costs to sterilize every bottle —an expen- sive process, Yet You would pay the same Common beer—brewed without WE CLAIM A MEDAL and dip! OLD CROW RYE! than any other made in the United ec, sour mash, and has Our Scotch Whiskies are true Glenlivets ; are sold straight. The Souvenir is old. The Bonnie Brier Bush is very old, Compare them with any others. H. B. KIRK & CoO., N. Y. It is hand mad ot our little town’s most treasured of your President s lynch their victims?" all our precautions — costs you no ] less than Schlitz Beer. a When you can get a pure beer— = a healthful beer — at just the price of a poor beer, isn’t it wise to ask / for Schlitz? ] ] Ask for the brewery bottling. ~ Ios IS BEST— BECAUSE h It brings the distiller far more price States. he best reputation, comicbooks.com