Life, 1912-01-18 · page 36 of 44
Life — January 18, 1912 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page primarily contains **advertisements and satirical editorial commentary** rather than political cartoons. The main visual satire is an **essay titled "History of Babylon,"** which uses the ancient city's decline as a metaphor for business stagnation. The piece argues that Babylon failed not due to lack of resources but because it rested on past glory and neglected to "advertise" itself—while newer American cities like Minneapolis and Kansas City aggressively promoted themselves and grew. This is satirizing American business culture's obsession with self-promotion and commercial activity over tradition. The page also includes advertisements for **Dioxogen** (a mouthwash/germicide for smokers) and **Chartreuse liqueur**. The latter references a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the Monks to bottle Chartreuse in America. The humor is gentle, targeting complacency and outdated business practices rather than specific political figures. It reflects early 1900s American anxieties about progress, competition, and the supremacy of marketing over heritage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
History of Babylon The history of Babylon is fraugt with sadness. It illustrates only to: painfully that the people of a town mak or mar its success rather than the natv ral resources and advantages it may pos sess on the start. Thus Babylon, with 3,000 years the start of Minneapolis, is to-day a hole in the ground, while Minneapolis socks her X flour into every corner of the globe, and the price of real estaic would make a common dynasty totter on its throne. Babylon is a good illustration of the decay of a town that does not keep up with the procession, Compare her to- day with Kansas While Babylon was the capital of Chaldea 70 years before the birth of Christ, and Kansas City was organized so many years after that event that many of the people there have forgotten all about it, Kansas City has doubled her population in ten years, while Babylon is simply a Gothic hole in the ground. Why did trade and emigration turn their backs upon Babylon and seek out Minneapolis, St. Paul, Kansas City and Omaha? Was it because they were blest with a blue sky or a more genial sun? Not by any means. While Baby- lon lived upon what she had been and neglected to advertise, other towns with no history extending back into the mouldy past, whooped with an exceed- ing great whoop and tore up the ground and shed printers’ ink and showed marked signs of vitality. That is the reason that Babylon is no more. This life of ours is one of intense ac- tivity. We cannot rest long in idleness S77 ES An Advertisement to Smokers XCESSIVE smoking often leaves a bad taste in E the mouth. Dioxogen—kills the taste by thor- oughly cleansing the mouth and throat. It destroysall odor of tobacco. Just rinse the mouth with Dioxogen and water before you go to bed. Dioxogen as a dentifrice—for which it is in daily use by thousands—has double value for every smoker. CSE EES ESTES TEES SESE Dioxogen is a germicide—a Three Sives: germ destroyer—not merely Small (534 oz.) anantiseptic. Itigabsolutely Medium (103$ 02.) + harmless too. Large (20 02.) Dioxogen 98 Front St. Such business methods are not only discouraging to the stockholders and annoying to the depositors, but re- move all incentive to effort from the cashier and note teller. Nor do I think that any man should be eligible to act as a director after he attains the age of 100 years. The hard- ships are too severe. Sometimes when a director, in the Since the decision rendered by the United States Supreme Court, it has been decided by the Monks hereafter to bottle CHARTREUSE (Liqueur Peres Chartreux) pursuit of his duties, has to exam- ine the securities of a bank, he is liable to suddenly come across collaterals the sight of which may bring on heart failure. I know of one lovely old gentleman who examined an uptown bank and he came in contact with so much Ice, com- mon and preferred, that he got severely frost-bitten. I say, let the young men take up the heat and burden of the day. There are lots of us who in time will de- velop into excellent borrowers and to whom a weekly ten-dollar gold piece will be as was the manna to the children of Israel. ‘om “A Few Remarks,” by Simcon Ford, copyright 1903, by Doubleday, Page & Co. both being identically the same article, under a combination label representing the old and the new labels, and in the old style of bottle bearing the Monks’ familiar insignia, as shown in this advertisement. According to the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, handed down by Mr. Justice Hughes on May 2gth, 1911, no one but the Carthusian Monks (Péres Chartreux) is entitled to use the word CHARTREUSE as the name or designation of a Liqueur, so their victory in the suit against the Cusenier Company, representing M. Henri Lecouturier, the Liquidator appointed by the French Courts, and his successors, the compagnie Fermitre de la Grande Chartreuse, is complete. The Carthusian Monks (Péres Chartreux), and they alone, have the formula or recipe of the secret process em- ployed in the manufacture of the genuine Chartreuse, and have never parted with it. There is no genuine Chartreuse save that made by them at Tarragona, Spain. At frst-class Wise Merchants, Grocers, Hotels, Cafes. Biitjer & Co., 45 Broadway, New York, N.Y. Sole Agents for United States