Life, 1910-12-01 · page 76 of 108
Life — December 1, 1910 — page 76: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from Life magazine (1912) contains satirical commentary on economic markup and profiteering, centered on "The Story of the Apple." The poem traces how a single apple passes through multiple middlemen—farmer, barrel distributor, shipper, and retailer—each adding their own profit margin and fabricated justifications (crop shortage, freeze damage). Each handler invents excuses to justify raising prices, ultimately creating massive markup on the original product. The satire targets **economic inefficiency and dishonesty in the supply chain**. Rather than genuine scarcity, the poem exposes how intermediaries artificially inflate prices through speculation and misinformation. By poem's end, the consumer pays far more than justified, having unknowingly funded multiple layers of profits. The other brief satirical items on the page—about Biblical knowledge and editorial attribution—follow similar patterns of social critique, though they're lighter in tone. This reflects Progressive Era concerns about monopolies, price-fixing, and middleman exploitation of consumers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Your Christ is incomplete without the Fussy Package $1.00 a pound; in halves, one, two, three and five pounds, Sent postpaid where we have no agent. STEPHEN F.WHI | List © Wy Lina (ae Super Extra Chocolates Everybody on your list would enjoy some one of the Whitman ackages choco- lates and confec- tions. If you do not know our local agent write early for “Suggestions.” Mekers of Whitma Instantaneous Chocolate The Story of the Apple A farmer picked this apple in his orchard in the West And put it in a barrel with some others of his best; Because they were so splendid he de- clared the price must climb And so he raised his figure on that bar- rel by a dime. The man who bought that barrel stuck a label on the top, Then told the interviewers of a shortage in the crop; And when he came to sell it to a buyer on the floor He added on his profit and half a dollar more, The man who shipped that barrel stuck his label on it, too, And talked of carly freezes and the’ dam- age that they do; The man to whom he shipped it said the grower’s price was high And raised the price two dollars more than in other days gone by. Biblical History Lesson “What happened to Babylon?" asked the Sunday-school teacher. “Tt fell!’ cried the pupil “And what became of Nineveh? ** Inorac Sretttb—Can you spell it right? No household without it. Sample on receipt of 25 cents. Oct. C. Blache & Co., 78 Broad St., New York Gen'l Distrs. “Tt was destroyed.’’ “And what of Tyre?” “ Punctured ! ''—Cleveland Leader. The Reform He Needed Earnest Bur Prosy Sracet-Corxex Orator: I want land reform; I want housing reform; I want educational re- form; I want—' Boren Voice: Chloroform. —Manchester Guardian, Takes Two The editor wrote: “Dear Madame: The verses entitled ‘The Kiss’ are very clever, Can you assure me that they are original?" The authoress answered: “ Sir: quite. ‘The Kiss’ was a collaboration.” —Cleveland Leader. A comraxy is known by the men it keeps—Wall Street Journal. \ 'AUNTER wae q Ye) Tunmowe Rf b Rr rior RE THE GOOD NAME OF HUNTER BALTIMORE RYE IS WORLD WIDE, ITS REPUTATION UNSURPASSED Sold at all first-class cafes and by jobbers. WM. LANAHAN & SON, Baltimore, Md, New York 398 Fifth Avenue PARIS LONDON 10 Rue dela Pax Poli Bond street No other Branches or Agents The man who stored that barrel told of shortage in the pick, Of scale and other pests that make the apple orchards sick, And he put on five dollars to the cum- lative price— And so it went, cach handler taking out his little slice. Oh, when you cat this apple, may it fill you with delight To know that some one profits on cach nibble and cach bite. And, Oh, be glad you do not live so very far away From where the apple started, for think what you'd have to pay! —Chicago Post icbooks.com