Life, 1911-09-07 · page 40 of 44
Life — September 7, 1911 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three main elements: **"The Trouble with 'Rastus"** (center): A racist dialect humor piece depicting a Black woman ("Missus 'Rastus Johnsing") calling a doctor about her sick husband. The "joke" relies on offensive stereotypes—phonetic dialect speech, casual consumption of alcohol and fried food, and physical clumsiness (injuries from amusement park rides). This reflects early-20th-century entertainment that mocked Black Americans through caricature and exaggerated speech patterns. **Advertisements** (left and right): Standard period ads for luggage, mineral water, and Persian rugs—relatively straightforward commercial content. **"Yes, Yes"** (lower left): A brief essay fragment about archaeological discoveries and human history—unrelated to the humor above. The racist cartoon represents attitudes normalized in mainstream American magazines of this era, reflecting deeply embedded prejudices in popular entertainment and publishing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PORES AFETY is a cardinal in your consideration luggage. You have safety plus, if you rely! on Indestructo quality. Indestructo Trunks and Hand Luggage are made to withstand the usual and the unusual— the incidents and accidents — of | ordinary and extraordinary travel. It has style as well—that class that stamps you asa thoroughbred traveler, With |NDESTRUCTQ) | LUGGAGE you_can always have full faith in certain service. ‘The Indestructo Trunk this year is canvas covered—doubly reinforced comers—Government bronze ish. Only teunk on | the market with olf corners and edges round, Intefior finish | tan linen lining, full pancled with cedar, All raw edges finished | with brass valance. Indestructo Trunks are sold north, cast, | south and west, Remember the name and insist! You'll be proud to ry Indestructo Hand Luggage any- where. No finer frames, hardware and sather used. Made in Bags, Saxt Cases, Hat Boxes, ermal Cases, Ty Hag. etc. Ample variety—spe- iy | = constructed veneer bo toms. If you can’t secure Indestructo Hand Lugesge from your local, dealer, address our mail order department, We'll giad- ly send catalog and full information avd ‘the name of a nearby mer chant who sells our koods, Address National Veneer Products Co. StatioaT Misbawak: Yes, Yes Speaking of the archxological discov- The Trouble with *Rastus “Hello, is dis central? Gimme num- ber fibe ‘leven, please. . . . Is dat you, Doctor Smif? Yessuh, dis is Missus ’Rastus Johnsing, down Mul- berry Avenue. . . . Yessuh, Some- thing's done happened to 'Rastu: “T doan know what made it, nosuh He's turrible sick, ever sence we come from de Park dis afternoon. He ’s sure bad.” “Nosuh, he did n't cat nuffin; jus’ a lil bit 0’ chicking—free or foh pice an’ part of a watermillion, an’ two pice of pie, an’ some ice-cream. Nosuh, he didn’t eat much.” osuh, he did n't drink nuffin’, either —jus' a tiny jigger whiskey, or mebbe two, an’ two or free beers, an’ some sodys. “Yessuh, he has a little pain in bis haid, where he bumpted it. Why, when he fall off'n de Roller Coaster. He run his haid clear fru de do’ of de ticket- place. He jus’ break it all to smash.” “Nosuh, not his haid, de door. Dat did n't hubt 'Rastus none; jes’ shut up one cye. The watah done make dat feel better.” “Why, de watah when he fall out'n de shoot-de-shoot boat. He's sure awk- ward. It tuck ‘em fifteen minutes to hook ‘im out'n de watah. All de watah come out ob ‘im, when dey roll tim ovah de bar'l—only, dat made him bleed some mo’ Persian Rug of the Sixteenth Century---- To settle an estate, there has come into our possession a genuine Sixteenth Century Ispahan Carpet. It is in good condition and there has been very litte restoration attempted. We will satity a purchaser of its genuineness by expert museum rather than commercial opinion. It is superior to a similar rug sold at the Marqua w Sale for $15,000, being an earlier and finer piece, Tic ese is 11 feet g inches by § feet § inches We will be pleased to discuss this rug wth ony indi- vidual or museums interested: In the purgoase cf sation carpets. Continually in business since JOHN H, PRAY & SONS CO. CARPETS AND RUGS 646-650 Washington Street, Boston, Mass. cries in various parts of the world, a writer in Argonaut says: We want to know the relation that these various discoveries bear to one another and whether it is not now possible to construct some sort of a history of * pre-historic” hu- manity, a history that will not be based on the placid assumption that the present age is the crown and the coping-stone of human achievement, Amen! Humanity as a whole is not yet ready for a crown. Even in well- matured England there is only one man who is considered worthy of that great honor. We are loath to relinquish the idea of a future millennium. A good motto for a millennium would be: “ Please pass the crowns.” FOR | AUTOMOBILES cates + Burns Cleanly.< wrth eras Lubreation” HAVOLINE OIL CO. 1 Co., Distribatere 014 Kobl Bldg... ‘Francisco, Cal. Drink M ore Water If you would have bounding health — if you would overcome the effects of too good living—if you would cleanse the system of the tea pais iic that poison it—drink Londonderry Mineral Water The most palatable of waters —it satisfies your thirst. Pure, light, sparkling, it absorbs and carries away the waste of the body. A valu- able aid to diges- tion. A water that comes from granite hills, bottled and sealed at its source. If you are so situated that you cannot obtain London- derry readily, write to us and we will see that you are supplied. Sparkling (effervescent) in three table sizes. Still ( plain) in half- gallon bottles, LONDONDERRY LITHIA STRING WATER CO. he bleed where dat trash Ab'um Lincumn Jackson cahve ‘im. Lan’, I done forgot to tell yo" dat. “No, nothin’ bad—one lil cut ‘cross his nose, an’ one car, an’ nuther ‘cross his chist. He done cahve him with a razzur, yessuh. 'Co’se, it bleed some. I has to xive ‘im some gin to keep ‘im quiet. Not much; ‘bout’n a pint. I has a pint more to give ‘im. He sure is thirsty.” “All right, Doctor, thanky. P’r'aps you'd better come. It mought gi rious. Shall I gib shall T wait till you come (B. Th Me He He Ww W qi comicbookseon