Life, 1909-09-02 · page 40 of 48
Life — September 2, 1909 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising** with one substantive letter-to-the-editor. The main content is a satirical letter from "Balancourt Manor" responding to a *Century Path* magazine claim that a California professor proved human flesh is optimal food based on dog experiments. The writer mocks this pseudoscientific reasoning, noting the absurd logic: even if dogs thrive on dog meat, humans needn't follow canine "ideals"—unless one aspires to "running about in search of strong and nauseous smells, burying bones, chasing cats." The satire targets **pseudoscientific justifications** for extreme claims—a common early-1900s concern. The letter argues that analogies between animals and humans require shared behavioral assumptions to be valid, otherwise they're meaningless. The remainder consists of **period advertisements**: Whitman's chocolates, Manning-Bowman coffee percolators, Briarcliff Lodge resort hotel, and Hartshorn shade rollers—typical consumer goods marketed to middle-class readers. No political figures or cartoons are present; this is standard editorial and advertising content reflecting early-20th-century consumer culture and intellectual discourse.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Best Druggist Everywhere Is the Sales Agent for, CHOCOLATES and CONFECTIONS From him you can buy our famous “ Fussy Package for Fastidious Folks.” A unique selection of choice chocolates that for the first time has given many thousands of chocolate lovers exactly what they wanted, Each piece a most delicious hard or nut centered chocolate. It 1s impossible to describe their goodness, No bonbous or cream chocolates included, The" Pussy Package” contains Chocolate Covered Nougat, Molasses Chips, Almonds, Walnuts, Marshmallows, Cocoanettes, Pecans, Molasses Blocks, Neapolitans, Cream Nuts, Caramels and Blossoms of Solid Chocolate. ‘The dainty contents of thisdaintiest of packages—their always perfect cone dition—have made Whitman’s Philadelphia chocolates the selected fayotites of fastidious folks everywhere. You should know your local Whitman's agent. If you don't know him, ask us for his name and we will sesd-you a pound * Pussy Package,” postpaid, for the regular price, One Dollar. Leak tor tha "Palsy Seul,** the "Grete STEPHEN F. WHITMAN & SON, Inc., Philadelphia, U. S. A. Box"’ and the "*Silver Braid. Saves Eat and Be Merry Came Atconguix, Souam Lane, N. Hy August 2, 1909. To tHe Eprror or Lire: The following quotation from the Century Path magazine ought to interest you, as being in line with your hostility to scientific humbugger: “A Cal professor is reported to have declared in a lecture in London that human flesh is the best food there is for human beings; and to have reached that conclusion by experiments in which dogs were fed on dog meat, and reached the maximum of endurance on that diet.”” “This statement has been reduced by a cor mentator to the aphorism, ‘ science justifies canni- balism.’ The great majority of people - . will have a sneaking suspicion that some other professor (from Oxford, perhaps) And gives you better coffe will say to-morrow that human flesh is the most better coffee because the grounds are deadly poison, basing his conclusions on the re- not boiled or steeped—better coffee ts of feeding cows on becf; and they will because only the goodness is ex. reserve their judgment accordingly. tracted. ‘That's whattt meals to havea “‘In fact, the above reasoning will not bear examination, It assumes a sufficient analogy be- : tween the dog and the man to which we can give anning- but limited assent. In order'for the analogy be- tween man and dog to be significant for the Ww: purpose in view it would be necessary to sup: owman pose that the man aspires to canine ideals in the METEOR matter of habits. Granted that our professor is looking forward (0 a life of running about in Coffee Percolator search of strong and nauseous smells, burying At leading dealers in Urn Style or bones, chasing cats, and so on, we may allow his Coffee Pot Style. Over 100 analogy of the dog to be in point; for any other styles and sizes. _ Beauti- : fully made. Reliable Bauancury Maxon, N.Y. Manning - Bowman quality throughout. BRIARCLIFF LODGE, |} 2222 A Resort Hotel of High Quality | ‘Open from May 1st to December Ist with superior accommoda- tions for three hundred guests Apartments decorated and furnished under exclusive orders for lease engagement. DAVID B. PLUMER, Manager Represented at 5% East 46th St, New York. ‘Phone S770th. kind of man it is apt to be misleading. Sone perhaps, would prefer to model their lives afte the pig or the ox. It may well be that a acquires the maximum of athletic ability after diet of dog, but is that any reason why a ma desiring to become athletic, should eat man? & might as well be inferred that he should eat dog flesh. The best we can make of the argumeg is this: A dog which eats dog's flesh Ome a strong dog; therefore a man who eats dogs flesh will also become a strong dog. But eva this argument seems weak."’ Your sincere admirer, Rocer Siersax Hoar Another Failure Purtaverriia, August 12, 1909, Huspanps’ Corresronpence Bureau. Dear Bureau: Noticing no answer forthcoa- ing to the plaint of one “In Extremis,’” may I oficr my advice in the hope that it may alleviate his sufferings His wife drags him to dances; so does iny wife drag me—semi-occasionally. “He weixhs 180 [il cy pounds; 250 pounds is my misfortune. 1 used tefl jrag dance when I was seven years old, and the: only, when bribed. Like “In Extremis,"” I a social failurg and am rapidly progressing. Fortunately for me, all dances to which [ hax been subjected have been held at a County Club; were they at private houses, I suppose I'd have to endure just what “In Extremis” suffers—several hours of boredom. It is nee less to say that these dances are of the sul tion variety (all on account of my wife) Tam an unwilling contributor; being: part host, I am consequently at liberty to act i the manner which I describe. My wife is a giddy young thing and so tractive that after she once enters the ballroe she never lacks a partner. When some si and callow youth whifls her around, sh ently forgets that I exist. At that junct vanish, I board the first trolley car homeward b pick out an interesting book, take off range my coat so that I can get into it pr set the alarm clock for 11:30 (provided the da is 10 wind up at midnight), stretch out on couch, and then, unless the baby squeaks, fal asleep. When I hear the alarm clock go off I hese for the first car to the Club, and meet my wife as she stands encoring “Home Sweet H You observe that I say “when I he alarm clock.'" What I usually do is 1 right on snoozing, for my wife has already me that the Joneses, who live next door, bring her home, that she has a key, am to go home and enjoy myself, &c. Now that’s the way to bring up a wife fer the suggestion to “In Extremis,"” who ma have kind neighbors. I never go near the smoking room or boom torium, Tit to the B. Y. Gost P. S, I'm a liar; my wife always insisis my staying in the ballroom while she dance. Effort Appreciated “So you were deeply touched by the poew! young Mr. Guffson wrote to you?”? said Maude “Yes,"" answered Maymie. “But it was not a good poem.”* “T don't care, It was just as much trouble for him to write it as if he had been Shake speare.""—IWashington Star. HARTSHORN SHADE ROLLERS Bear th of Serwari Herakors on heel Get “Improved,” no tacks requtred. 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