Life, 1910-05-05 · page 65 of 72
Life — May 5, 1910 — page 65: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine combines editorial content about joke origins with period advertising. The main article discusses how *Punch* magazine (a British satirical publication) sourced its humor—some jokes were manufactured, others drawn from real incidents with minimal editing. The illustrated anecdotes demonstrate this practice: stories about a clown at a children's party, a police officer's witty encounter, and a country maid who later realized her own experience had become published material. These examples show how Victorian-era humor mining worked—real social mishaps were recycled as comedy. The dominant advertisement for **Pabst Extract** ("The Best Tonic") reflects contemporary medical attitudes: marketed as a cure for dyspepsia (indigestion) and various ailments including insomnia and weakness. This was typical late 19th/early 20th-century patent medicine promotion, claiming near-miraculous health benefits from barley malt and hops extract—claims modern readers would recognize as unsubstantiated. The page essentially shows how both humor and medicine were "sourced and repackaged" for commercial purposes during this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Some Old Friends Among the Jokes (Continued from page 832) HOUGH unquestionably many of Punch's jokes are deliberately manufactured, or else improved from actual incidents, a vast number—like those quoted just now—are used with but slight textual editing, just as they occurred. Thus Joe Allen it was—the light-hearted artist. who contributed an article to Punch’s first number—who pro- vided Mr. du Maurier years afterwards with that “social ago in which a kreat lover of children, invited to a juvenile party, bursts into the room with the ery of “ Here we are again!“ walh- ing in on his hands like a clown, to find that he has come to the wrong house next door and was scandalizing a sedate and stately dinner ps y had a story of ous police officer of his acquaintance was the hero. The lotter was driving “ Black Maria" along the street when he was hailed by a wag- gish omnibus driver who affected 10 mis- take the depressing character of the pass- vehicle. “Any room?" he asked "Yeu," replied the ofcer with a grin, Dyspepsia’s Gnawing “we've kept a place on purpose for you e ot age a gh Nel Cravings Into Honest, Healthy Hunger as Jeames expressed it, at the Of what use is a feast without an appetite? Or, what is more distressing than a stom- ictarciead Aad Water land akilly oF ach that will not digest the food itcraves? These are the signs of dyspepsia. If you let Sundays!" The joke duly appeared in them go unheeded, you sow the seeds of weakness which will blossom in disease. Be- Punch after a long interval (Vol. xlvi.), fore you know it you will be fast in the aggravating grip of dyspepsia—irritable, peev- illustrated by Charles Keene, under the ish and lacking in ambition and energy. You can overcome these feelings by using title of “ Frightful Levit appeared a picture entitled “A Trade,” in which a country maid on being asked what her last employer was replied, “ He kept a vicarage.” The The Best Tonic circumstance had actually taken place in Mr. Tuer’s own house. When the num ber eared; the legend was. read out This essence of modern diet, combining the rich food elements of pure barley malt to the maid and it was explained to her withthe tonic properties of choicest hops, is a boon tothe dyspeptic. The system easily that it. was her joke. She showed no and thoroughly assimilates the nourishment offered in this predigested form. The enthusiasm, not even appreciation; bur appetite is stimulated, causing a desire for and making possible the digestion of on secing the others laugh she id, heavier foods, thus assuring a speedy return of health. with perfect gravity, yet still with hope- as you had . Physicians of repute everywhere are constantly vouching for the merits ful perseverance, Well, 1 must try and of Pabst Extract, The ‘‘Best’’ Tonic, by recommending it to strengthen make some more! the weak and build up the overworked; to relieve insomnia and con- = = quer dyspepsia; to help the anaemic and aid the nervous; to assist te . nursing mothers and invigorate old age. Nurses Outfitting Association Order a Dozen from Your Local Druggist Today—Insiat Upon It Being Pabst th eed Bott i i Library Slip, geod for Resks tnd'Aegasiaes, lp a wed 2 W soth Steud k Booklet and Picture “Baby's First Adventure’ sent free on request. 7 PABST EXTRACT CO. DEPT. 12 MILWAUKEE, WIS. Correct Uniforms | For Maids | O Canon Ainger, also among a crowd stunned, and the porters who quickly > of willing helpers, has Mr. du ran to the spot determined to take him Maurier often been indebted for jokes to the station at once. The hero of the ForHouse : rather scholarly than farcical, such as the accident overhearing where they were and Street parody spoken by a wretched passenger carrying him imagined that he was being ; leaving the steamboat : given in charge. “\What do you want “Take, O boatman, thrice thy f to take me to the station for?" he I've been as ill as any three! asked. “ You know me, and if I've done Imported i any damage to your d 2 Novelties T! ZRE is a story in Mr. Le Fanu’s I'm ready to pay for it!’ This story d Seventy Years of Irish Li of Mr. Le Fanu’s reached Keene's ears = 1 which the author tells of a man who was long before the author incorporated it in Uniforms Aprons 4 accidently knocked down by the buffer his book, and with a change of hardly Collars Cuffs Caps Etc. of a locomative near Bray station. He a word it illustrated one of the best Send for Catalog O. was not seriously hurt and but partly drawings the artists ever drew 353 comicbooks.com