Life, 1910-05-05 · page 68 of 72
Life — May 5, 1910 — page 68: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising content** with two satirical pieces interspersed. The main satirical content is **"An Interview With Halley's Comet,"** a dialogue between a journalist and the famous comet during its 1910 appearance. The comet criticizes America's rapid development—rapid transit, airships, hydraulic elevators—questioning whether this progress is actually *improving* people's lives or just moving them faster toward nowhere. The comet appears as a social critic lamenting that Americans only recognize problems when they finally attempt reform. The joke relies on the comet's 75-year absence creating ironic distance; it's essentially early-20th-century anxiety about whether technological progress equals genuine progress. The second piece, **"There Was a Limit,"** is a brief ethnic joke about an Irish politician returning from Paris, ultimately punchlined by a crude reference to his wife. The remainder consists of advertisements for **Martin & Martin shoes, Cheney silk cravats, and a National Motor Vehicle Company automobile** ($2,500), representing typical commercial messaging of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Martin & Martin shoe-service-by- post is not just an effort to sell shoes by mail. It is a logical and inevitable outgrowth of our unique storeservicein Chicago and New York. Much of our store patronage has come from out-of-town buyers who find it impossible to get in their own cities the grade of shoes and the character of service they want. We have found that we can supply these patrons quite as satisfactorily by mail as in person. Through this patronage, we have solved the roblem of showing our shoes and making fitt- Ings by mail—along lines as unique as our personal service in the stores. AA Martin & Martin Model Black Russia Oxford. Medium toe and heel— high arch. A common sense walking shoe of Saultless style. PRICE NINE DOLLARS Upon request we will furnish large photo- ‘aphic reproductions of other current models for street, dress or sporting wear. You may open a charge account by furnishing the usual commercial references. Perfect records are kept of all our fittings, and all you will need to do after your first order isto write or wire your requirements as to kinds of shoes or occasion of wearing ané the right shoes will go forward within the hour—all at our risk and upon our guaranty of perfect satisfaction. Our ready-to-wear shoes, built upon our life- long experience as custom boot-makers, and the only shoes of similar character and’ quality ever offered ready-to-wear, are sold from SEVEN DOLLARS UPWARD ARTI &° ARTI BOOTMAKERS FOR MEN AND WOMEN 1 Bast 3sth St. NEW YORK—183 Michigan Av.,CHICAGO TROUBLES OF 11S OWN An Interview With Halley's Comet (Continued from page 855) lights, but I do not sce the lamp of faith burning any brighter. Your — rapid- transit is rapid, no doubt, but is it really taking your people anywhere? you uplifted your y means of your airships and hydraulic Have onal mor: by clevaters? “Tam glad you are going away said. “You are not the kind of critic that America needs to-day, You're the kind that only sees our national dis- cases when we begin to reform them There are others. Shoo! Back to the void!" The propellers of our taxioplane were now churning noisily. Hoolahan pointed the forward planes earthward anil we were off with a whirr. cried the comet waving bis nimbus. “IM be hack in about seventy-five years. Hope you and Mr. Snapper will be up and sce “du revoir, gentlemen,” me then. shouted Perhap 1 through my megaphone, “but [rather think we'll be kept away by another engagemen There Was a Limit An Trish politi from a trip abroad an had just returned A friend met him and inquired “Did you have a fine time, Mike?” Df course 1 did you visit the theatres in re, 1 saw all the plays.”” And did you go to 1 * Sure, T was in all of * “Well, tell ike, any pommes de terre?’ vo, [had the wife with me all time.""—Albany Argus. nd did ye sce Cray CRAVATS Ideotify the tend. Then sew oe-bladiog, alt sIt then, 32 Colors, Stripes and Fanctes, Price 50c. Ail dealers on by mail onreceipl of print. ‘State calor da SEY SILKS starved Imhie the nevk- ar, ‘reventte, a-proaf, rede PONCET & NEESER, Seiting agents, 58 Greene 8t., New York 355 es 2. NK $2500)| ale v7 <. T’S comfortable - to know I] that your car has more than twice its rated horse- power—reserve power enough to pull up any grade or out of anything. It’s comfortable to know you have speed enough to pass any- thing on the road. It’s comfortable to know that you have every up-to-date feat- ure any car can claim; that you have in your car the finest of materials and the most _ac- curate expert workmanship; that you have behind your car long experience in building motor cars of the highest grade. It's comfortable to know that in looks very few cars compare with yours, while none sur- pass it. And it’s comfortable to know that, instead of $4,000 to $6,000, it has cost you but $2,500 NATIONAL MOTOR VEHICLE Co. toat E, 22d Street, Indianapolis, Ind. Licensed under Selden Patent “THIS YOUR BIRTHDAY? ’* “sure! 1 WAS DORN HOURS Aco,’” just comicbooks.com