Life, 1910-05-05 · page 53 of 72
Life — May 5, 1910 — page 53: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes **Mary Baker G. Eddy's "Science and Health,"** the foundational text of Christian Science, through verse parody. The poem mocks Eddy's core teaching that matter and illness are illusions—that "mortal mind" creates all suffering through error, not physical causes. The satire climaxes absurdly: if sickness is merely mistaken thought, then "rankest drugs would be unharmful," and one could imagine a "non-existent lobster" being prepared with non-existent tools. The **adjacent Dioxogen advertisement** (a hydrogen peroxide product) is the joke's punchline: positioned directly next to text ridiculing the rejection of medicine, it hawkingly promotes an actual chemical disinfectant. The irony is unmistakable—Life magazine uses Christian Science's denial of material reality to sell a very real, material product as necessary for health. This represents early-1900s skepticism toward Christian Science's anti-medical stance, which was controversially gaining followers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Rhymed Reviews Science and Health (By Mary Baker G. Eddy. V. Stewart) It costs less to use Dioxogen Because you do your , own diluting Allison Immortal Mind exists alone! Divine, complete in pure perfection; Fer Man himself, when rightly known, Is Mind's, or Soul's, or God's re- flection. Nor think that God, the Mind, the Soul Created worlds in wild profusion; The stars that turn about the pole, Our earth, our sky, are vast Illusion. Our very frames are dreams, we find, Or errors—more or less persistent— Of mortal mind; and mortal mind Itself is wholly non-existent. But how this mind of mortal taint, That's neither made nor self-creat- ing, Can dream of other things that ain’t, I haven't found the means of stat- ing Yet learn to see in mortal thought The source of all our fancied troubles ; Who comes to know that all is naught Will dissipate his griefs like bubbles. For Sin and Sickness, Death and Woe, Are simply Error’s dreary armful: li folks would only vote them so The rankest drugs would be un- harmful. A non-existent lobster, raw, Denude, with non-existent clippers, Of either non-existent claw Then other non-existent nippers THE KEEPSHAPE Cats pressing bills in half. ‘This adjustable garment hanger is adaptable to hanging fall sults, either Ladies or Gentlemen. It is like put- ting yoursell into your clothes when you bang them up ta ayer, wardnate. Satislaction guaranteed or money fore. Price $i each, 6 for $5.59 or 12 for $10 delivered. “Roobler Pret. IOXOGEN is from 25% to 50% stronger than ordinary peroxide. This means that when you dilute Dioxogen (as you generally do in use) you use less ioxogen and add that much more water; the diluted Dioxogen will still be as strong as the ordinary peroxide and you do your own dilutin, one point for you don’t pay for the water, That's iOxogen economy. Dioxogen is sold in three sizes, small (5% oz.), m (10% o2.), large (20 o2.). ‘The small and medium sizes contain Y; more, and the large size X more than the ‘corresponding sizes of ordinary peroxide. ‘That's anether point for Dioxogen eccnomy. TEx 3 LE PURE PEROXIDE OF HYDROCES Dioxogen is much purer than ordinary peroxide and is free from the disagreeble taste and odor characteristic of ‘‘acetanilid-preserved’* kinds. Dioxogen purity, Dioxogen strength and Dioxogen guality combine to produce an efficiency mot attained by ordinary peroxide. Therefore, when you buy Dioxogen in preference to the ordinary peroxide, you practice true economy, because you get more, and what you get is stronger, purer, will last longer, go further, do more things and do them all better. Try Dioxogen and Prove It Yourself Dioxogen has many important uses in every day home life. For example it is exceedingly effective as a Mouth Wash and Gargle. It destroys the germs that cause decay of the teeth; it destroys the infec- tious bacteria that cause sore throat, tonsilitis, etc. ; it destroys the cause of bad breath; it produces a real hygienic cleanliness of tne mouth and teeth, impossible to attain simply by the use of dentifrives. Dioxogen is a toilet and hygienic necessity, always working for pervoua: sttractive- ness through the medium of cleanliness and health. A Free Trial Bottle and Booklet xo".tese2t vpony-sosst usefulness and true economy of Digrogens of you can buy a regu Jar bottle from any one of over 3.000 druggists who handlc it—but be sure and get real Dissous: If you want the trial bottle—a full 2-of. size, free—use the attached coupon or give the same information on a postal, The Oakland Chemical Co., 93 Front St,, New York 93 Freot St, New York Check one of the following: I have never weed Dioxogen of any peroxide of bydroren. O 1am using a peroxide, but not Dioxogen, for personal use, 2 wemld like » try Dioxogen: Hndly und free erial buale and beable, Keepshape Co, Dept Th, 132 Namau St. He'll grow with non-existent speed, Unvexed by doubts and lucubra- tions ; Had we a lobster's simple creed We'd likewise cure our amputations. But men, because they think they think, Have hosts of phantom fears in- vented. st Away with speech and printer's ink, That spread deceit !—and BE con- tented. Remember, all but Soul is nil; Bid frauds of mortal mind defiance; Divest yourselves of Thought and will And that’s the gist of Christian Science. Arthur Guiterman, comicbooks.com