Life, 1906-03-01 · page 43 of 46
Life — March 1, 1906 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate humorous anecdotes typical of early 20th-century satirical magazines: **"A Tree-Climbing Crocodile"** mocks a shopkeeper's dubious claim about a crocodile-skin handbag. The joke hinges on the absurd excuse that the crocodile is "soiled" because it "struck the ground when it tumbled out of the tree"—implying crocodiles climb trees, which they don't. It satirizes commercial dishonesty and the gullibility of wealthy customers. **The Electric Car anecdote** jokes about a fearful female passenger who asks the conductor if she'll get shocked touching a rail. His response—that she'd only be shocked if she simultaneously touched the trolley wire—mocks her illogical thinking while gently satirizing women's perceived anxieties about modern technology. **Sir John Astley's story** ridicules a Conservative political candidate who admits his own liquor expenses exceeded what he could justify criticizing others for—a hypocritical stance that undercuts his political authority. The page is otherwise dominated by advertisements for alcoholic beverages (Anheuser-Busch Malt Nutrine and Cascade Whisky), revealing period attitudes toward alcohol marketing and health claims.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
th pro- 1 ye you patient do yor je table er hus: A TreeClimbing Crocodile. a hard-worked dealer in smart fancy articles and nick-nacks and he had tried— | hard!—to please a fractious but pertina- | elderly lady who wanted something nice and inexpensive but that looks * for her granddaughter. For the twen- time she picked up and examined | wly a neat little hand bag \re y ally quite sure that this is r she inquired. \bsolutely certain, madam,” the dealer re- “[ shot that crocodile myself.” But it looks rather soiled,” critically exam- the light. Hy, madam, most naturally; that is where it struck the ground when it tumbled the tree."—The Tatler. O NE day an electric car was derailed on the main street. The conductor went to a nearby cffice and telephoned for the work gang. When he returned to the scene of the accident he saw that the passengers were on one side of the track, with the exception of one lady, who ed to be afraid to cross the rails. When the conductor drew near she asked, in timid voice: “Would T get a shock if I put feot on that rail?” pointing to the nearest madam,” answered the conductor, po- “Not unless you put your other foot on rolley wire.”—Boston Herald. ING THE NECESSARY STEPS TO BUILD A FIRES TER much persuasion, Sir John Astley allowed himself to be put forward, some > ago, as a Conservative candidate for Par- at from Lincolnshire. He confessed he little about politics, but entered into the vaign as rare sport. One day he addressed cting of electors, at a village in the Isle of Strength jor the Mother, >) Health / jor the Chiid Nursing Mothers main- tain their normal Health ’ and Vigor by drinking the delicious Food-Tonic— ANHEUSER-BUScy, = ontaining in the N. S fy dreamless sleep Iecontains such a slixht pei ge of alcohol that it cannot injure the most delica , and is gener. ally “recommended by Physicians for weak and ailing children, ve sto nd grocers. paved by Anheuser-Busch Brewing Ass’n St. Louis, U.S. A. Ime, and, when he had finished, boldly J his hearers to fire questions at him, y there came the query: “What do you f Sir Wilfrid Lawsen’s liquor bill?” moment Sir John was nonplussed, but for a moment. Pulling himself together, replied: “I cannot answer for Sir Wilfrid Lawson's liquor bill, but I do know that last year my own was a deuced sight too big!” —-Irgonaut, From Sunny Tennessee. A perfect hand made sour mash, copper distilled whisky. Absolutely pure, aged by time alone. arate rimer-cisse MOTELS: GEO, A, DICKEL & CO., Distillers, Nashville, Tenn. comicbooks.com