Life, 1910-01-20 · page 15 of 36
Life — January 20, 1910 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a contest asking readers to decipher a mysterious telegram. The main cartoon shows a well-dressed man gesturing dramatically while holding a telegram, surrounded by family members and a dog in what appears to be an affluent household—the visual setup suggests domestic intrigue or scandal requiring coded communication. The accompanying satirical articles mock wealth disparities and reporting inaccuracies. "Negligible Discrepancies" ridicules newspapers for wildly inconsistent estate valuations of wealthy widows (Caroline Astor's fortune reported between $60-70 million versus $1 million; Mrs. Harriman's dropping from $225 million to $75 million in two days). Life's point: even small fortunes dwarf ordinary people's means, making precise figures meaningless. Other jokes mock marital disputes over spending ("Husband/Wife" dialogue) and reference "Big Bill Edwards," apparently a fallen football celebrity now reduced to manual labor—reinforcing themes of fortune's instability among the wealthy and famous.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
What Does This Telegram Say? LIFE WILL PAY $100 FOR THE BEST ANSWER TO THE QUESTION ABOVE Ten Dollars a Word HE picture on this page represents an unusual situation. Please study it carefully, and see what you can make out of it. Note every detail. When you have made up your mind what ten words or less the telegram in the man’s hands might contain, exclusive of the address and signature, write it out and mail it to the Telegraph. Editor of Lire, with your name and address. The cleverest telegram, in the judg- ment of the editors of Lire, will be awarded the prize of one hundred dol- lars. MISSION FURNITURE But no more be accepted Everybody is eligible. than three telegrams will from any one contestant. The contest will close on March 1, 1910, no answers received after that date being considered. The announce- ment of the winner will be made as soon thereafter as possible. FOOL is one who gives advice to a wise man and thinks him a fool for not taking it. IFE is, with one exception, the only free and independent journal in America, It is not con- trolled by trust, creed, advertiser, political party, millionaire or any- body or anything except its own conscience. 127 Negligible Discrepancies 'HE Springfield Republican speaks of “the late Mrs, Caroline Webster Astor, mother of Col. John Jacob Astor— a woman worth $60,000,000 or $70,000,- 000 at least.’’ It has since observed, possibly, that the value of Mrs. Astor's estate was only a little than $1,000,000. That is, of course, a considerable fluctuation, but not so great as that in the estimate of Mrs. Harriman’s belong- ings, which dropped (in the newspapers) between two days from $225,000,000 to $75,000,000, with a prospect of a further ion of 33 per cent. But, after ail, what boots it? A for- tune of even $50,000,000 in a single family is just as good as affluence, and for a decedent whose children are al- ready well started in the world, $1,000, 000 does as well as $70,000,000. “Here!” Were are the football kings of yesterday? The wind has blown them all away.—The Evening Post. OT all! Not all! Big Bill Ed- wards is still here, and lately did a first-class job shovelling snow. more USBAND: What! Three hundred and fifty dollars for that gown? My dear, how extravagant you are! Wire: No more than you. Didn't you spend seventy-five dollars for your last. suit? NOW thyself—but tell no one what thou knowest A BALLOT DANCER comicbooks.com