Life, 1911-01-19 · page 41 of 44
Life — January 19, 1911 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising for Mark Twain's works** (1/2 price edition by Harper & Brothers), presented as editorial content praising his educational value. The large advertisement argues that Twain should be understood not merely as a humorist but as a "Teacher" offering genuine education about "human nature and life"—more valuable than formal schooling alone. This reflects early 20th-century American intellectual trends elevating literature as moral instruction. The page includes three separate opinion pieces: a doctor's complaint about patients preferring specialists to family physicians (reflecting contemporary medical debates), a philosophical essay by G.K. Chesterton on how "monotony" reflects the observer rather than the place, and a humorous anecdote about actor Nat Goodwin's repeated marriages. The layout mixes genuine editorial content with advertising—typical of *Life* magazine's satirical, densely-packed format. The overall thrust positions reading Twain as both entertainment and self-improvement during an era valuing literary culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
/ / Enclosed nd one lar (Ca n $1.13). AFE for hs to “LIFE: taeities offered to private families for independent travel Wik E& booklet on request ‘$ TOURS COMPANY OFFICES Opp ¥ Hotel c ype Physicians vs. Specialists “We are living in an unfortunate age, so far as the work of the physician is concerned. Not only the profession but th: people want quick action. Few are wilting to wait for the results of medi- cice, which is the only means of restor- ing a perverted function. We have be- some so crazed by the wonderful and spectacular work of the surgeon that the desire prevails to have everything cut cut. The family physician has lost hi job. Every one runs to the specialist, who often sees many cases through a biased pair of spectacles. With all his expert knowledge the so-calied specialist very frequently specializes with too many diseases, and his treatment is liable tc become prejudicial if not empirical. The nily pbysician—if such a man exists— is the one who should treat these cases for the successful result requires time and careful individualization in cach in- stance."—Dr. H. V. Halbert, Chicago, in Monotony In books, as a whole, marshes are de- seribed as desolate and colorless, great felds of clay or sedge, vast horizons of drab or gray. But this, like many other literary associations, is a piece of poetical injustice. Monotony has nothing to do with a place; monoton:’, either in its sen- sation or its infliction, is simply the qual- ity of a person. There are no dreary sights; there are only dreary sightseers. Iv is a matter of taste, that is, of per- sonality, whether marshes are monot- nous; but it is a matter of fact and science that they are not monochrome. Tbe tops of high mountains (I cm told) are all white; the depths of primeval caverns (I am also told) are all dark. The sea will be gray or blue for weeks together; and the desert, I have been ied to believe, is the color of sand, The North Pole (if we found it) would be white with cracks of blue, and Endless Space (if we went there) would, I sup- bose, be black with white spots. If any of these were counted of a monotonous color I could well understand it; but, on the contrary, they are always spoken of as if they had the gorgeous and chaotic colors of a cosmic kaleidoscope.—Gilbert K. Chesterton in London News. C 7 P. _ Artistic Perfumer. MARK | only $25.00—for the 25 volumes. Never before has a Any One Would Do A few da after Nat Goodwin's last marriage William Collier, the actor, met him and “Well, Nat, I see you've married From a Discerning Contemporary The New York Lire was first issued twenty-seven years ago. The truest thing that can be said of it is that it is a glow- a . ing embodiment of its name. Piquant, replied Goodwin. . . * replied Collier. “By the pictorial, witty, fearless, independent and y I wish you'd invite me to one progressive, it has won a large clientage of your weddings some time, won't you?” of its own, and knows just how to keep y y j Ladies’ Home Journal. it-—Troy Press. A good many people believe that Education comes only from schools and colleges. It doesn’t. The most effective, most worth-while Education comes from a knowledge of human nature and a knowledge of life. And the best way to learn these things that are ‘real, is in the pages of Mark Twain’s books. You have thought of him only as a humorist and philosopher. He is far more than this—he is first of all a Teacher, and you may benefit by his rich experience—use his powers of observation—learn human nature through his pages. It had been Mark Twain’s ambition to have his books in every Amer- ican home, and he madea great personal sacrifice to bring about this remark- able opportunity—for the first time in the history cf publishing, copyrighted books are sold at the price cf non - copyrighted tooks—the chance will not come again. TWAIN'S HARPER & BROTHERS Franklin Square New York City Fin send me for ex- amination, carriage free, aset of MARK TWAIN'S ORKS, Author's Na- tlonal Edition, twenty-five vol- umes, cloth binding. It ts under stood I may retain the set for five days, and at the expiration of that time, if Ido not eare for the books, I will return them at your expense, If I keep the books, I will remit $2.00 2 month until the full price, $25.00, has heen pald, or, within thirty days, $23.75 as pay- ment in full, LL1-19 Copyright, 1907, by A. F. Bradley. Now for the first time you get a complete set of all Mark Twait writings at just exactly one-half the price they have ever been sold before. This is a new edition, just as complete as the old one, which still sells, by the way, at $50.00. This new edition is copyrighted library set of a standard author’s works been issued at such a low figure. In this new set there are beautiful pictures by Frost, Newell, Smedley, Thulstrup, Clinedinst, Kemble, and Opper. The binding fs In rich red rep silk book cloth, with title labels stamped In gold. The books are printed on white antique Signature..... wove paper, especially made for this edition, Each volume is of generous size and bulk, 5x7} Inches. HARPER & BROTHERS Send books to... s.e-.0+0 : A Catalogue of Our Standard Sets of Books will be sent upon request 189, comicbooks.com