Life, 1910-12-01 · page 16 of 108
Life — December 1, 1910 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the contemporary craze for Spiritualism and yogic practices. The column's framing device mocks "yogi training branches" claiming to teach mental vibration and astral projection—suggesting such pseudo-scientific mysticism was genuinely marketed to Americans. The fake letters parody subscribers claiming the magazine produces "mental" effects: one reports selling hobble skirts through astral advertising; another begs to cancel to avoid being "seen mentally"; a third claims subscription made her immune to materialism (marriage, Christian Science, voting Republican) through purely mental means. The satire targets both gullible consumers buying into occult nonsense and the magazine itself for profiting from such absurdity. The "Imaginary Life" concept mocks the era's fascination with mental phenomena, reincarnation, and spiritualist claims—exposing how easily people rationalize magical thinking as science.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Valedictory Not Necessarily ‘LIFE: Leading the lmaginary Lite ELABORATE IDEA OF GETTING MARRIED OFT SAMPLES OF LETTERS CONSTANTLY RECEIVED FROM ALL PARTS OF THE UNIVERSE E have just graduated our first class in yogis from our yogi training branch, and have placed them at work record- ing vibrations. Up to the present time it was supposed that every yogi must be made in India, but this impression is false. One of the best yogis we have is a Flatbush man, who has lived on the con- fines of Brooklyn all his life. Owing to this increased force, we have caught up in a measure and present here- with a page of letters received from vari- ous sources. Some of these are material- istic and the rest are translated from vibrations received. In accordance with our usual custom we print them as they come, without change. Dear Life: Ever since becoming a regular subscriber last month I have been taking a mental joy ride. The last imaginary number of Life was the best one yet. I felt it coming for hours ahead, and my subliminal self went into a fit on its arrival. Great work! A B— . Gee. Ime. Mit. Sir:—I thought your mental advertising rate of five hun- dred dollars a line was highway robbery until I tried it. The fact is, everything depends on the circulation. After my experience, I will believe anything. I had a line of a million hobble skirts and before noon of the day the last number came out, I had vibrated them all over the world. I sold one lot of them to an Esquimaux village and another to a band of Patagonians. There isn’t a female astral body within range of your subscription list that isn’t hobbling in one of my superb creations. Yours gratefully, r———- H——_- Dear Si Please cancel my subscription. I have lived in Boston all my life—I was born there, and I cannot bear to have anyone see me mentally any more. When I subscribed, I did not realize what it meant, but now I have suddenly realized that you must be able to see right through me. Please don’t vibrate this way any more. CTRink / Bridget Matilda G——— HE In Babylon Dear Gee. Ime. Mit. Please stop all my advertising. Every yogi in my place went on strike yesterday and we can’t fill our orders. I’ve been in a trance all day trying to catch up, and it’s telling on me. Later I will renew. H——— K——— Dear Life: One of the things I like about your superb paper is the fact that it makes one immune to any of the materialistic things that happen. I became one of your regular subscribers a year ago. Since then I have married a suffra- gette, have lived in a Christain Science boarding house and have voted the Repub- lican ticket, and I am as cheerful as ever. What astonishes me is the manner in which youkeepitup. Every imaginary number I receive seems to be the very last word in joyous harmony, but the next one comes and I have to begin all over again. My wife is also a mental subscriber, but doesn’t know it. I subscribed for her subliminal self long ago. Materialistically she hates the paper, and is always saying things against it, but psychically I can detect her subliminal self in a quiver of joy over the latest number. Who wouldn't be married under these cheerful circumstances? Yours circumambiently, James G-——— Dear Life: I am the reincarnated spirit of a Babyionian scribe who lived four thousand years before Christ, and I am vibrating you a grateful line of thanks for publishing the splendid jokes T used to enjoy so much. It's just like old times! There are no jokes like the old jokes, The jokes I used to know When I peered at bricks in Babylon An acon or so ago! Ever thine, Katish W— My dear Old Imaginary Life: I have been away on a vacation in New Jersey, and when I came home yesterday found all the back numbers waiting for me. They formed an im- aginary line extending clear down the front stairs, and for the space of fifteen minutes I saw nothing but blue and yellow discs. After this I shall leave my astral body at home = when I visit New Jersey. The shock of so (Geen Lit nye suany good mumbere i t80 great. (Concluded on page 933) Will Get It / Throwin Astral Fit Just Imagine! an