Life, 1912-05-16 · page 41 of 52
Life — May 16, 1912 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertisements and filler content** rather than satirical cartoons. The main elements are: 1. **Real estate ad** (Ridgefield, Connecticut property) 2. **"A Prayer to the Spirit of Humor"** — a tongue-in-cheek manifesto for humorists, warning against lazy comedy techniques (old jokes, puns, cruelty toward the weak, laughing at disabled people). This reflects *Life* magazine's self-conception as a sophisticated satirical publication with standards, not a purveyor of cheap laughs. 3. **Automotive advertisements** for Atwater Kent ignition systems and Firestone tires — typical early-1900s car marketing emphasizing reliability and durability. 4. **Small romantic joke** at bottom (man admits he thinks about baseball, not just his girlfriend) — gentle, era-appropriate humor about male distraction. The page reflects *Life's* mixed identity: serious satire intermixed with commercial advertising and light domestic humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
RIDGEFIELD, CONN. 250 acres in Ridgefield, Conn., on high ground, magnificent tract of diversified land, hill and dale, meadow and fcrest. An unusual opportunity for a man of means to create a wonderful country place. or suitable for sub- division into acreage plots. Easily developed. Ex. tensive frontage on main road. In the neighborhood. of large estates. Address ADAMS & KEELER, Ridgefield, Conn. RARER AR CR CRA CONC OCT A Prayer to the Spirit of Humor For All Humorists, Near-Humorists and Would-Be Humorists Deliver us from those Terrible Crimes —Old Jokes, Puns, Perversions of Speech and Mere Foolishness. Vouchsafe that we may not fall into the Labored, Hard-As-Nails, Dry-As- Dust forms. That we may give no Imi- tations. That we may bear in mind that Humor poises above three Dark Mo- rasses: Cruelty, Bad Taste and Silliness. Falling into any of these, humor becomes a Vice. That we may Studiously avoid making fun of a Nation, a Cause or an Individ- val that is weak. That we may not laugh at Cripples. That we may never forget our Cli- maxes Atwater Kent Ignition System HE simple scientific principle of the Atwater Kent Ignition System is only one of many teasons for its efficiency and merit. Another reason is greater—it has been re- duced to the simplest pessible mechanism with but three small moving parts and a single, mechanic- ally cperated contact. All moving parts are cf hardened steel and are made as carefully as the parts cla watch, No more simple or efficient ignition device is known. The Atwater Kent System is easily installed on your car. Write today for Booklet L, full cf interesting ignition information. Atwater Kent Mfg Works 52N.6th.St. Philadelphia Pa. (77 FOR 22 AGARS “MADE AT KEY WEST That we may maintain a Playful Spir- it, and a Sense of Beauty and Sentiment, which will prevent us from becoming Dull That we may not be Pedantic, Arbi- trary or Self-Conscious. That we may bear in mind that if there could be one condition worse than a World of Eternal Tears, it would be a World of Everlasting Smiles. Grant us, therefore, some Sane and Lucid Intervals. Keep us from that Literary Cowardice that is sometimes Spoken of as Whole- some Simplicity. service on all Firéstane ‘Tires, © From Cheap Slang, From Bad Lines, From Commonplace Themes, From Paredies on Oj A Deliver Us! —Kate Masterson in Lippincott's. “Do you love " inquired the beautiful girl. “Of course I do.” “Do you think only of me, by day and night?” “Well, Tl be frank with you. Now and then I think of baseball.” —Washington Herald.