Life, 1908-05-07 · page 4 of 48
Life — May 7, 1908 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising rather than satirical content**. The dominant visual element is a Goodrich Tires advertisement featuring cross-sectioned tire images, with accompanying product copy emphasizing durability for various road conditions. Below that is a Northern Motor Car Company advertisement for a vehicle priced at $1600. The right column contains "The Literary Zoo," a regular column discussing literature's practical value in household management. A female contributor describes using poetry (specifically Wordsworth's "Ode to Blindness") to mentally escape tedious domestic tasks like making beds and cooking. **There is no political cartoon or satire evident here.** The page reflects early 20th-century attitudes about women's domestic roles and the marketing strategies of that era—primarily automobile and tire manufacturers targeting consumers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Whatever the Road (| Goodrich Tires 27¢,,"4%, for, it— whether rocks and ruts, mud and clay, or granite blocks, they are ready to carry their load with speed and safety. With boulevard ease and resilience, but with cross-country durability, they take roads as they find them—because they are made ready by the Goodrich method of building tires, in the largest rubber factory in the world. The proof of their superiority is recorded on every highway in America—and the records are yours for the asking. The B. F. Goodrich Comey, Akron, Ohio CHICAGO 24 Rast Lake St Premont St. Our Prodacts so hand a Fast Lake St, r mont St. ur Prodacts are also handled in GLC olutabas Ave rine By ae 1 COMPANY = NORTHER] RN MOTOR CAR CO. DETROIT. , @. More power, greater refine- ment—is the message of our new Catalog. “It's a pleasure—not @ crucifying luxury—toown @ Northern” because it has \ the simplest control and simplest mechanism ofany car. You can drive and | care for it yourself, Write | for new Catalog—explains its exclusive advantages in detail. a - The Uses of Literature CONTRIBUTOR to one of the magazines for feminine readers tells them in a recent issue how the problem may be solved of accomplishing uninter esting but necessary household tasks with- out becoming mentally dulled. She says: “This morning while chop- ping ins I committed to memory the opening verses of ‘Pippa Passes’. . . and later when making beds, a purely mechani cal duty, I had only to raise my eyes to the wall where I had pinned a copy of Milton's ‘Ode to Blindness.’ Of course, certain work requires concentrated thought, but in housework there are so many wholly uninteresting mechanical things to be done that one’s mind is free to soar while the hands are busy.” What potent possibilities are here sug- gested! And what a good idea that is about the beds! The past scems all illumined, now that I know the ‘‘Ode to Blindness” is the thing to study while beds are being made. It does not matter at all that the title of the ode is misquoted—the point remains the same. Now I know why boarding-house beds are as they are. A copy of the ‘Ode to Blindness” has doubt less been translated into every tongue, and placed where the Swedish, Finnish, French or Irish chambermaid need only lift her eyes to find its solace while pursuing her purely mechanical task. By following up the clue suggested, we come upon a most enticing prospect— that of fitting the literature of the ages to the domestic occupations of our time. Shall the woman who does her own house- work be the only one to benefit by such a suggestion? Not at all, not at all, in these days of the uplifting of labor! — Every member of the domestic staff shall have a chance, and every task its literature. There is much in “Richard IL” that would be agrecable to the cook. This historic drama could be placed, a few lines ata time, above the warming-slide to give her seasons of relief from the mechanical process of basting the roast. One mi Legin, for instance, with Oh, who can hold a fire in his h By thinking on the frosty Cy Or eloy the hunge By hare ima, Upon the inner side of the butler 's pantry door must be pinned up something useful to either man or maid. Of course, it eught sometimes to be “They’re Hangin’ Danny Deever in the Morning.” But for pure diversion and relief from dull domestic man” he we have : tactics for hir The ought inscriy ber!" vase such bi and t The D one to existen dull a peram from its top over t] brilliar from wiser f are me to be | of the excelle be the mirabl tell? For pended structil forth y Cannir Who fi Black's But equipp plan fo lings a we fea drama the which | that at butan in tha of his stances Success by poli vigore t ment fq Gran