Life, 1910-10-06 · page 51 of 60
Life — October 6, 1910 — page 51: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a satirical short story mocking unchecked capitalism and monopoly. The narrative follows a ruthless businessman who consolidates every competing company into massive trusts—culminating in his monopoly over "United States Respiration Trust" (literally controlling the air people breathe). When he announces a 33% price increase on *breathing itself*, he congratulates himself on proving his optimistic philosophy that "Everything is for the Best." The satire targets Gilded Age robber barons and their rhetoric of inevitable progress. By reducing monopoly to the absurd extreme of charging for oxygen, the author exposes the cruelty and exploitation underlying real business consolidation of the era. The magnate's smug optimism despite creating artificial scarcity is the joke—his "success" directly harms the public, yet he sees no contradiction. The surrounding advertisements (fountain pens, tires) provide ironic contrast to this critique of unregulated industry.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Perfect Optimist And so at last, in the course of time Civilization worked itself out to its logi cal conclusion, Jus as the day of multi-millionaires nme, so did it flourish and pass aving the one great, supreme, unconquerable Multi-billionaire, the Mag par excellence, upon whose bounty hers, rich and poor alike, depended By being upright and fairly honest, by ng good to his family and business like every one else, he had brought, one hy one, every great industry under his control And he had always been an optimist. Ever since things had commenced to ne his way he had looked on the and as time went on he be- came more and more confirmed in his philosophy, His last great deal was th tion of all the small Respiration Com- panies into the gigantic United States Respiration Trust. Every single one of the great necessities of life was now under his control. When the papers which definitely forced all competing companies out of business were signed and passed, the great Magnate called his secretary into the luxurious directors’ room and or dered him to immediately announce a uniform increase of thirty-three and one- third per cent. in the rate per breath, children under ten half price. Then he looked about the room at the other directors with unfeigned satisfac palgama- ntlemen,”’ said he, “ you all realize I what this day means. I now a controlling interest in the entire country, But do you know what it proves? It proves the truth of my life-long phi losophy of optimism. It proves thai * Everything is for the | Best.” "Success. John H Holland , SAFETY SELF-INKING FOUNTAIN PEN Can be carried in any position POSSES ESSES all the sterling qual- ities of the best gold pen made, with exclusive new Holland feature —the SAFETY CAP. This device— Patent pending — uway with all possi leakage, Cross Section Showing SAFETY CAP Comes in two styles — one fills itself by Bo leeve and compressing bar; 5 bylifting button. Each style equij with Satety Cope miich makes this fletioga 2 booe for travelers because thetecas nolakevaporation and the pen is/seays feady to write, Ladies can entely carry it inhcrknd bags or layitia ther wrideg ed with the Joba Holland Gold Pen c/ader since 1881, and Patent Elastic Fisured Feed,which insures evenink flow, Atk your pest teas or wo will send direct to rated Catsiog—over 100 style FREES Write for it. The John Holland Gold Pen Co. Est. 1841. CINCINNATI, O. WE KNOW Fisk Quality Tires are the best in the world today—barring none. To keep them at this pinnacle of superiority and to know absolutely just how much better they are than other tires, we have originated methods of accurately testing all makes for mileage and wear under cer- tain definite conditions. CAREFUL EXAMINAT IONS are made at different stages of these tests which ultimately end in complete dissection to study the exact effect of always informed wherein stresses and strains. We are thus and how much better Fisk Quality Tires are than all others, and able to detect the slightest tendency towards decreasing Quality in any particular run of our own product. WE HAVE NOW 20 DIRECT AND PERMANENT FISK Branches in different parts of the country. Remember—in patronizing these branches you deal direct with the factory. Fisk Quality Literature on Request. THE Fisk RuspBER Company DEPT. S, CHICOPEE FALLS, MASS. BRANCHES East Middle West and South West Beuston—239 Columbus Ave, Springfield, Mass,—133 Bridge $ New Ye Broadway. Philadelphia—258 North Broad St Buffalo—718 Main $ Providence—17!4 Dor Rochester—34 Cl finton id Ave. San Francisco—418 Golden Gate Ave. Blvd Denver— i534 Glenarm St. Minneapotis 820 Hennepin Ave 162 West Oth S y. Mo.—1604 C 7 Houston St. The ain cimerican Citizen, Life of William Henry Baldwin, Jr, by J. G. Brooks (Houghton-Mifflin Co,, $1.50.) The Varmint, by Owen Johnson. (Baker-Taylor Co., $1.50.) Engaged Girl Sketches, by Emily Cal- vin Blake. (Forbes & Co., Chicago, Il.) The Real Roosevelt, by Alan Waruer (G. P. Putnam's Sons, $1.00.) Year Book of the United States rs’ Association, (United States Brewers’ Association, New York.) Now, by Charles Marriott. (John Lane Co.) $87 Latest Books » Fruit of Desire, by Virginia Dem- arest. (Harper & Bros, $1.20.) Boy Scouts of America, by i T. Se- ton. (Doubleday, Page & Co., 25 - nts.) Celt & Saxon, by Geo. Meredith, Chas, Scribner’s Sons, $1.50.) Addresses and Papers on Life Insur- ance and Other Subjects, by John F. Dryden, (Published by the Prudential Insurance Co., Newark, N. J.) Enchanted Ground, by Harry James Smith. (Houghton Mifflin Company.) The Art of Creation, by penter, (The Macmillan Company.)