Life, 1907-12-05 · page 55 of 68
Life — December 5, 1907 — page 55: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains three distinct pieces: **"My Friend" (left column):** A sentimental poem praising a cheerful dog named Bob Taylor, belonging to a Tennessee politician. The satire is gentle—celebrating the dog's unfailing good humor compared to human moodiness. It's a nostalgic tribute to animal loyalty. **"The Queen of Music Makers" (center/right):** A Regina phonograph advertisement masquerading as editorial content. The text argues the Regina music box-phonograph hybrid is superior to buying separate devices. This is straightforward commercial advertising, not satire. **"Every-Day Philanthropy" (lower left):** A brief humorous anecdote about a destitute man asking a lawyer for money. The joke: the man explains his poverty resulted from his uncle leaving his entire estate to an orphan asylum rather than to him—revealing self-centered irony masked as understanding sympathy. **"Have at Them" (bottom):** An editorial fragment criticizing theatrical trusts for exploiting artists and the public—a serious reform critique, not humor. The page mixes advertising, sentiment, and social commentary typical of *Life*'s early editorial approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
My Friend TT RUE and trustful, never doubting, Is my young and handsome friend; 6G Always jolly, Full of fan, Bright eyes gleaming Like the sun— Never see him blue or pouting From the day’s break to its end sseee~ ll of MusicMakers’ He would say, “Won't have a Other way, . . ; Vaht ha an let There is a place for a Regina on phone in every home. ten we go out together t For a ramble far and wide— The Regina Music Box has always Catch the breezes Fresh and strona been such a wonderful music box awe that it has been known everywhere fewesere nid os oat as “‘the Queen of Music Makers.” But my friend is sometines quit While the music box has ae And Pre caught his clear brown eye been good, the honograp 1 has Mote appeting— become popular. Many people buy sale someine a Regina Music Box for one kind Yet concealing. ey . . Yes, he'd Hike to talk! Well ty it— of music, and a talking machine for “Bow, wow, wow,” and tha his ery! oe Ps eee another. This is a mistake, because The above poem is a picture in words of a dog, in the Regi 1} ll named “Bob Taylor” after the present United you can get in the eginaphone a. States Senator of Tennessee, and belonging to Lon of the good qualities of the Regina A. Warner, managing editor of the Chattanooga (Tennessee) Tradesman—Our Dumb Animals. Music Box plus all of the good banat eee all talking Fvery:Day; Plilisaheook machines and some special good qualities that none Nery-Day Envanthropny have. The Reginaphone is run by the Regina Music SAD and seedy individual found his Baltimore office building, gained admission te Box motor, which runs longer, more evenly and is ihe offices of ons of the city’s test: known legal firms, stronger than the motors put in ordinary talking ma- last, somehow penctrated to the sanctum of nartner. chines. Then it looks better, is a finer piece of cabinet asked the lawyer, “what do you:want? work, and finally, you always have the Regina Music c visitor was nothing if not frank. 4 : Jollar Dill,” he said; “although,” he added, Box, which many like better than the phonograph. “if you don’t happen to have the bill, silver will do.” The man’s unusual manner caught the lawyer's | | If you are looking for a royal holiday gift, “There ve ” ji i . buy “The Queen of Music Makers." The ‘There you are,” he said, handing out the moncy. pleasure it gives never grows stale. Tt will “And now I should like to have you tell me how delight not for a day or a year but for you came to fall so low in the world.” aan earnenwern The visitor sighed. it there is no egina store near _ “All my youth,” he explained, “I had counted on you, write tousand we will tell youwhere Makers of Regina Music Boxes, Reginaphones, inheriting something from my uncle, but, when he to fo, and send you acomplete book de- Regina Player Pianos, Regina Chime Clocks died, he left all he had to an orphan asylum.” ccibing it, The Reginaphone is a music Rahway, N. J “A philanthropist,” commented the lawyer. eee ee retire or ouy a ae Sew ¥. oR aS, « eae ; ion above the cost of the music box alone. New York Office: Broadway and Seventeenth Street What did his estate consist of ?” Chicago Office: 259 Wabash Avenue. Ten children,” said the visitor—and vanished.— Saturday Evening Post. Have at Them F ALL the trusts which thrive in the United The Comedy of Life States, none equals the theatre trust for rapacity and contemptuous disregard of public rights. It A handsome volume of LIFE’S Best Pictures, reprinted on Heavy strangles art with the same facility with which it Coated Paper and Bound in Cloth with Special tobs the people. It sits enthroned in New York and ‘ Cover Design by Blashfield determines what the people of Texas may see and g eS” how much they must pay, and it attempts to strangle Bound in Green Linen with Cover Design in White artists who do not yield allegiance to it. difficult to write of these pirates in parlia- 7 By A. Di Blsahheld tary language, but some of these days militant authority will get them by the nape of the neck and boot them into the limbo of ignominy, where they y no longer offend the public’s sense of justice ‘ency.—Houston Post. Price $2.00 LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY, 17 West Thirty-first Street, New York comicbooks.com