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Life, 1912-09-12 · page 44 of 52

Life — September 12, 1912 — page 44: what you’re looking at

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Life — September 12, 1912 — page 44: Life, 1912-09-12

What you’re looking at

This Life magazine page contains satirical commentary on workplace inefficiency masked as a success story. **"A Busy Man's Day"** is a tongue-in-cheek essay describing Mr. Jones's typical workday. The satire lies in what's *unstated*: despite arriving early, commuting, and staying late, Jones appears to accomplish almost nothing. His day consists of breakfast delays, train card games, casual office socializing, pipe-smoking at his desk, and lunch club meetings—with actual work reduced to occasionally glancing at mail or signing letters. The implicit critique targets the early-20th-century business culture where *appearing busy* and maintaining social connections mattered more than productivity. Jones is held up as a model of "how men make money," yet the detailed account reveals he spends perhaps an hour on actual work. The accompanying **Pabst Blue Ribbon beer advertisement** is incidental to the satire, promoting the beverage as suitable for tired businessmen—which ironically fits Jones perfectly after his exhausting day of... minimal labor. The humor relies on readers recognizing the gap between Jones's hectic schedule and his actual output.

📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

adjourn, cach in a different direction. a) VILLAGE VIEW APPLES | Sometimes Mr. Jones goes back to the ry ww Ripened on the tree, packed into cushioned bo: id. shipped i i i BACT) direct, toyou. Never'pat in cold storage, “Their distinctive, fiche office and sometimes does a little business delicate has made them famous the world over. It is the downtown, He takes the five-twenty ie Fils tar ie delicious than ordinary a vile train home, and if he is not at the sta- der a trial tl i We liver iT a e to your door_-express charges prevaid {0 all points east of the Mists tion by five he fecle as though he bad sippi river, for less than you pay for cold storage apples. missed the train completely. He once 100 choice apples $4.00—Winesaps, Albemarle Pippins, Mam- g i i ii kK ry apeles | Ons py terss pine, Bias more meets his friends in the smoker for ae Sisepected kena, soot another little game on the return trip. Remit cheek or money order. ace: Fropice Nationa! Bank, He reaches home about six, where he is tor your bealth’e mabe * completely worn out from his hard day’s at are abwolotely perfect Satistaction eoaranteod sopen, labor. E. E. D. A Busy Man’s Day My uncle has asked me to write an essay on how men make money, and al- though I don't know how to do it my- self, I do know the way hard working men in the office do it. I think this is a good example of the way some men do it. Mr. Jones is called by his wife at 6 a.m. Monday morning. He lies in bed about ten minutes after he is called, then jumps up and dresses very hurriedly and is downstairs for breakfast at 6.30 a.m, If breakfast is late Mr. Jones gets very impatient and reminds his wife that he must get the 7.13 train for the city. He is usually at the station ten or fifteen minutes before the train pulls in. He meets several of his friends there and together they go into the smoking car. When the train starts out comes the card table, and that is the way men are amused for the twenty-five-minute trip to the city. Mr. Jones arrives at the office about cight to find only a few of the men there. He takes off his coat, lights a cigar, and seats himself in his revolving chair at his desk and glances through the morning mail. By 9 a.m. the rest of the office force have come in and an hour or so is spent in sociable talking. Then the other men go to their desks and Mr. Jones leans back in his chair and watches the curls of smoke rise from his pipe. Now and then a clerk brings in some papers to be glanced over, or a letter to be signed, and so the morning passes. At 12 o'clock Mr. Jones meets friends at the club, where another The Always Welcome Beverage T is Blue Ribbon time when you are hot, thirsty or tired. A most healthful beverage that both refreshes and invigorates, No other beer can approach it in flavor or in all around deliciousness. Its popularity is due to the successful and honest efforts of its makers to produce a pure, wholesome and refreshing beverage. Bottled only at the brewery in crystal clear bottles, showing at a glance that it is clean and pure. Phone or write for a case, “A LOOK INTO LIFE” comicbookee