Life, 1909-11-04 · page 41 of 52
Life — November 4, 1909 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a political cartoon titled "Parliamentary 'The Ayes Have It'" depicting a sneering, scheming face—likely representing a corrupt or hypocritical politician or bureaucrat. The accompanying text "Sparks from Old Anvils" is a cynical monologue about exploiting weakness and manipulating the public through false piety and manufactured outrage, suggesting satire of self-serving political figures who weaponize public opinion for personal gain. The bulk of the page consists of advertisements (Waterman's fountain pens, Plexo face powder) and an essay on the literary merit of fiction—standard magazine content. The cartoon's point: critiquing politicians who cloak naked self-interest in moral authority while secretly manipulating their followers. The grotesque caricature emphasizes the ugliness beneath the political facade—a common satirical technique in early-20th-century American humor magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
tg spread ums," | am of | j (nracti- for 25 lucted PARLIAMENTARY “THE AYES HAVE IT’? Sparks from Old Anvils (Continued from page 644) J mean to take refuge, and set my s in order. I shall not abandon casant way of life, but shall be to keep my secrets, and enjoy without making any noise about 1 fine, here is the true means of all I please with impunity. I shall set up as a censor of the actions of others, shall judge ill of every body, and think well of none but my- seli. Once I am. ever so little of- d, I shall never forgive it, and simply cherish an irreconcilable red. I shall give myself out as the r of Heaven's interests; and this convenient pretext, I shall ccute my enemies, accuse them of and let loose upon them those lots, who unquestionably act in good faith, and whom every one knows to be truly in carnest—but are n in by my pretending, and blindly orting me—who but ape their own actions—will raise a public outcry, load those who offend me with insults and condemn them loudly on_ their own private authority. ’Tis thus we must profit by the weaknesses of man- kind; ’tis thus a wise man will make the best of the vices of his age.”— “rom “ Don Juan,” Molitre. Tks i hs untat y iP ae | * Nini ll a The Imprint of Quality For the benefit of Christmas buyers and the thousands upon thousands of continual users of Waterman's Ideals, who purchase either for self or as gifts, we suggest ! A good fountain pen is a sensible purchase. Every member of your family, or associate, has, at some time, wished for a Waterman's Ideal of hisown. To give this pen is to give that which is useful and which is known to be the best there is. Waterman’s Ideals are easy to buy, because you can locate them in the best stores in every city in the world. You can identify this pen by the imprint and so can the person you give it to. Our history has been one of inventing fountain pen perfections, de- signing and fulfilling the demands of a world of people, who are enthusiastic over successful things. Waterman's Ideals were a success from the start. Usefulness and quality combined ina wide assortment of styles and sizes make this the Universal Christmas Gift. Face Powder Why use an unsanitary rower bull or Powder Kag PLEXO Face Powder, The Kind In the box with the Puff Attached "* | ctiminates all this, dane. tether Gnd expense? 10, 25 and Soc. The ee, 1G Nt. James St, Montreal L. E. Waterman Co., 173 Broadway, N. Y. 8 School St., Boston ; 209 State S 2 iain Lancione 6 Rue de Hanovre, Paris irket St., San Pranelseo Uses of Fiction The most influential books, and the truest in their influence, are works of fiction. They do not pin the reader to a dogma, which he must afterwards discover to be inexact; they do not teach him a lesson, which he must afterwards unlearn. They repeat, they rearrange. they clarify the lessons of life; they disengage us from our- selves, they constrain us to the ac- quaintance of others; and they show us the web of experience, not as we can see it ourselves, but with a sin- gular change—that monstrous, con- suming ego of our being, for the nonce, struck out. To be so, they must be reasonably true to the human com- edy; and any work that is so serves the turn of instruction. But the course of our education is answered best by those poems and romances where we breathe a magnanimous atmosphere of thought and meet generous and pious characters.—Stevenson, Books Whick Have Influenced Me, comicbooks.com