Life, 1909-03-04 · page 3 of 44
Life — March 4, 1909 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page mixes satire with advertising. The left column's "Sparks from Old Anvils" cartoon satirizes public panic over rabid dogs. The cartoon shows a disheveled figure with a sign reading "THE WHITE MAN OF THE SOUTH IS GETTING HIS FASHIONS FROM US"—likely satirizing racial anxieties or cultural borrowing during this era, though the specific reference is unclear without fuller context. The bulk of the page features an Oldsmobile automobile advertisement emphasizing reliability and driving comfort. Below, a Havoline Oil ad promotes lubrication products. The rabid dog content and the cartoon's reference to "the white man of the South" suggest this issue addressed contemporary social anxieties, though the precise satirical target of the fashion reference remains ambiguous from this excerpt alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SPARKS 5 Foe ow ANVILS Popular Panics A dread of mad dogs is the epidemic terror which now prevails. The people sally from their homes with that circumspection which is prudent in such as expect a mad dog at every turning. The physician publishes his prescription, the beadle prepares his halter, and a_few of un- | bravery arm themselves with boots and loves, in order to face the enemy if he offer to attack them. In short, the whole stand bravely upon their defense, and , by their present spirit, to show a resolu- “THE WHITE MAN OF THE SOUTH 18 GETTING HIS FASHIONS FROM US.’? tion of not being tamely bit by mad dogs any longer. Their manner of knowing whether a dog be mad or no somewhat resembles the ancient Euro- pean custom of trying witches. A crowd gathers da dog suspected of madness, and they be- gin by teasing the devoted animal on every side; 8 ae ce at Sa at ee Se” 8 SMtocacs ieee trom a cake ‘Tt Makes a Difference” Tri he bes gue engine od mode are dependent on its year-in-and- OUR point of view of motor- ing is determined by the car you own: pleasure and comfort year-out reliability. Riding in an OLDSMOBILE the machinery is only apparent as an unobstructive source of power —boundless, yet delightfully responsive. Inevitably the Olds- mobile owner learns to place absolute confidence in his car... . and he experiences the real pleasure of motoring. “our-cylinder cars $2750 Six-cylinder cars $4500. Closed bodies for each chassis. Details sent on request. OLDS MOTOR WORKS Lansing, Mich. OLDSMOBILE CO. OF CANADA, LIMITED 80 KING STREET, EAST TORONTO, ONT. if he attempts to stand upon the defensive and bite, then he is unanimously found guilty, for a mad dog always snaps at everything; if, on the contrary, he strives to escape by running away, then he can expect no compassion, for mad dogs always run straight forward before them, When epidemic terror is thus once excited, every morning comes loaded with some new dis- aster. My landlady, a good-natured woman, but a little credulous, waked me some mornings ago before the usual hour, with horror and astonish- ment in her looks; she desired me, if I had any regard for my safety, to keep within; for a few days ago so dismal an accident had happened as 2s to put all the world upon their guard. A mad dog, down in the country, she assured me, had bit'a farmer, who, soon becoming mad, ran into his own yard and bit a fine brindled cow ; the cow quickly became as mad as the man, began to foam at the mouth, and raising herself up, walked about on her hind legs, sometimes bark- ing like a dog, and sometimes attempting to talk like the farmer, Upon examining the grounds ofthis story I found my landlady had it from one neighbor, wuo had it from another neighbor, who heard it from very good authority.—Gold- smith, The Citizen of the World (Continued on page comicbooks.com