Life, 1909-10-07 · page 36 of 44
Life — October 7, 1909 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page primarily features a humorous dialogue piece titled "Tom Hood on the Pole," a satirical conversation between a naval officer ("your Honour") and an elderly Arctic explorer named Drury about the existence of the North Pole. **The Satire:** The joke targets 19th-century Arctic exploration debates. Drury represents the skeptical working-class sailor who dismisses the Pole's existence as mere scholarly fancy. He offers absurd "folk logic"—attributing the Arctic Sea's name to Noah, claiming explorers like Parry and Back never actually found anything definitive, and suggesting old Admiral Noah stole the Pole to use on wild beasts. The humor lies in his earthy common sense undermining pretentious geographic authority. **Context:** This reflects real Victorian-era Arctic expedition controversies and the gap between educated assumption and practical sailor experience. The page is primarily **advertisements** (Knox Hats, Iver Johnson Revolvers, Allen's Foot-Ease), with "A Long Look Ahead" (about future airships) as secondary content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
water marks, and so made the Frozen ( ‘That's my own private notion, and not Gospel nor geografy neither.” But what has that to do, Drury, wit existence of the Pole?" “Why, then, all the po in the world. sour Honour, Give in to that, and the tother comes arter it, like a ship's boat towing in her wake OX ‘That ‘ere sea, time out of mind, has been called NEW YORK the Arctic Se and good reason why, because it was named arter the Ark, by Noah, when be diskivered it in his first voyage. That's phi- An absolute necessity toxonby 1” “But the Pole, Drury, the Pole! Aloft, it The g A wingh “Why, then—ah, there it is!" for the careful dresser Drury, with a face almost too. stave or sartin, Captain Parry he don’t stick to say he did—and now there's K Captain Back come home, third, without a Lody can say they don't take lots of licking the Schollards do still insist and lay down tha cre was, is, and shall be, some sort of a pole, bit of a spar, or even such a come down as a walking-stick, stuck upright’ at their favorite oe " =the al . spot. [have even heard say there be Schollards | [oy Sor Embody style, fit and s look for a wooden needle there, acorn’ to | Yeah magnetism ; account : And what may be your own belief, Dri ay easy poise. on the point? '* pana “Why, then, to be sure, your Honour, there's | gur'd—| no denying what phenomenons 1 might be, | hy oceans ago, on the face of the carth. fut it’s | 4 my own private opinion, if ever there was sich a pole, there, or thereabouts, why, then. old Ad: | of vou miral Noah carried it away with him for a pole | Syaiccox to stir up ‘his wild beasts '!"" Hood's Own seared septic he mort they doi mour. Attics: Dodd > Te relteves, pataral A Long Look Ahead alas “FROM OLD ANVILS \ the st Sid been Tt The airship, at first, will be used for the | and jun : : Iransmussion of the mails and light express | fmirac ‘Tom Hood on the Pole } Rew thoes lecleath pack: and especially for their swift com | ct are Ingeowing nails, y veyance ‘over sea; but soon the more adven- | are at I was my good fortune, one day, in a casual By tits, pchlng, lest ; : turous and resolute, and, finally, all classes of | ard Gi ramble through Deptford, to encounter an Si" Denggists, 28 ce snot accept travelers, will avail themselves of the #reat pas- | and Lit old, whimsical, frost-bitten tar, with whom I had a Substitute. Sent by mail for 23 cems denger' serotinis, aud ‘enjoy the iunsirnana mate a slight Somerset House acquaintance. He in stamps gouges beroliniae and. enloy the neunae KE juxury of flight, experiencing thrills of wonder was a North-Poler. by name Drury, but sur “manic, FREE With rigkace and anay oni atecneot owen ficele named ex-officio “ Why Then?’ and the recent ( use Allen's: return of the late Arctic expedition affording us | ¢ Fool A » OLMSTED, Le Roy, N.Y. (Continued on page 49. limes d a congent, . L immediately broke the ice: | ————— ——— —————— ipa “Well, Drury, what do you think of the last Sxees exploring job in the North?" influenc “Why, then, your Honour,” said Drury, tak- ing up a talking position, “10 speak my private mind, it’s much the same as I said to you a year ® ago in the Navy Pay, It's come to the same bad end as all afore it, and as all will come to tebe foun, aot if you took ‘out the Town SAFETY AUTOMATIC REVOLVER We point to the difference between the posi- your Honour—something tively and absolutely safe Iver Johnson Safety between no bird at all. Since I see Automatic Revolver and the imitation near-safe- you last, I've turned it over and over, and took ties. They have some device added fo them to make double turns of it, and by help of Scripture them near-safe. The safety feature of the Iver Johnson Safety ; i is the firing mechanism itself—not some spring or button device to pull or press, larnings, which is worth all other larnings ten That is why you can, in perfect safety—nof near-safety—kick it, cuff it, knock it, or times over, not excepting navigation, I've been who go able to make out the pint.”” HAMMER THE HAMMER selves Indeed, Drury! Then you will perhaps give ors hoobieh tetyath ake “The d frie e: Letieht..o' deeision:* “SHOTS.” our bookiet, tells all about it ina plain, simple way. 10 you i friend, heheneptzof:the: decision can't go astray on the SAFE revover question, Send for t-FREE. “You stick to the old opinion, then, Drury, tthe Arctic Pole is nothing but an Arctic Why, then, your Honour, it’s my own argu- ment entirely; and here it is. As for the Frozen Iver Johnson Safoty Hammer Revolver : 1 beli Ocean, it's my belief natur would never act se Richy wickeed, 22 calibre rime or gz aitre cnterre, $6 (Exira length barrel or blued agin patir ‘as stick a sea, where there was. tio grinch barre}, or 38 calibre ceuter-fire, 34-inch barrel, + finish at slight extra cost) carthly use for it whatsomever, whether Wer Johnson Gsfety Hammeriess Revolver gis shipsvorcin7y i Richly nickeled, 32 calibre center-fire, 3einch barrel, or 38 (Exira length barrel or blaed f dang © shins ees rhe ie HN RE ce eginch coe See tos © finish at slight extra cost) like this ou like, hy reason of the ice hat 1 call mal ' g fi Cape Clear. _ " ea Sold by Hardware and Sporting Goods dealers everywhere, or sent prepaid on receipt of Geie 1 migh man wh been a price if dealer will not supply. Look for the ow!’s head on grip and our name on barrel, g F, if thes a Wive lithe he alneae 10. reason: and stand: yl IVER JOHNSON'S ARMS & CYCLE WORKS, 186 River Street, Fitchburg, Mass, Tay, well, too, on both legs, that there never was no an New York : o Chambers Street. San Francisco: Phil. B. Bekeart Co., 717 Market St. f moment sea at all in them high latitudes, afore the Great % Hamburs, Germany: Pickhubeo ¢, isa gt Flood. Whereby, there came sich a spring tide of fayeutle] iver Johnson Single Barrel Shotguns and Truss Bridge Bicycles ae the Atlantic as went over and above all the old “And what then, Drury?" comicbooks.com