Life, 1909-07-22 · page 19 of 28
Life — July 22, 1909 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **"Getting Even: The Drug Store"** offers cynical social commentary on pharmacies and druggists. The text sarcastically describes drug stores as places where poisons are dispensed by credentialed dealers using Latin prescriptions to obscure their purposes. It claims drug stores enable "four reasons" people visit: habit, curiosity, experimentation, and ineffectual remedies—implying they perpetuate human weakness rather than health. The final jab—"More murders are committed in drug stores than any other place"—is hyperbolic satire suggesting pharmacies are complicit in slow self-destruction through addiction and false remedies. **"Compulsory Philosophy"** references Thomas Huxley's philosophical point about ultimate questions, then applies it to political corruption. Using Senator Aldrich as an example, it traces a chain of control: Aldrich controls the Senate, magnates control industries, and "Providence" controls destiny—suggesting hidden hierarchies manipulate American systems while ordinary citizens remain unaware. The top illustration "Getting Even" shows a wealthy man in a car encountering a working-class family, likely depicting class disparities the magazine critiques.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘THE COAT OF ARMS OF J. KILLAWAY SPEEDA GETTING EVEN The Drug Store DRUG STORE is a collection of bottles, filled with poisons, and A presided over by a man who h. Uficate from the State to deal them out piece of paper made out by another man whose sole object is to. conceal his purpose by writ- 1 cere to whoever presents a ing in a dead language. People go into a drug store, as a rule, for four reasons: To perpetuate some habit. To satisfy a morbid curiosity. To begin a doubtful experiment. To cater to an inherent weakness by using an ineffectual remedy. More murders are committed in drug stores than in any other place on the face of the earth. Even the soda water fountain is built of polished gravestones, to typify its mission. People carry the atmosphere of their calling around with them. That is why druggists and undertakers look alike Drug stores live by broken promises. Compulsory Philosophy HOMAS HUXLEY once said that a man could not start along the ordi- nary road of the questioner without ar- riving at the ultimate. For example, Senator Aldrich controls the Senate, the infant industries co the magnates control the tries, the ates are trolled by an all wise Providence then comp! a Grundy, ed on Monday, zed on Wednesday, Flunked on Thursday, Drunk on Fri Fired on Saturday, Exit on Sunday: transit Solomon Grundy. ‘ol Senator Aldrich, controll and Destiny in its turn is con Why comicbooks.com