Life, 1912-09-12 · page 47 of 52
Life — September 12, 1912 — page 47: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains three distinct elements: **The Cartoon ("A Very Close Decision")**: A couple sits on a sofa; the woman asks "Will you marry me?" The man responds "Yes." The satire suggests the man's decision to propose is portrayed as an agonizingly difficult choice—hence "very close"—mocking the stereotype of male reluctance toward marriage. **Historical Article on Advertisement Pricing**: This is educational content tracing how early publications (from the 1600s-1700s) began charging for advertisements, citing sources like the *Jockey's Intelligencer* and *Country Gentleman's Courant*. No satire present. **Supporting Advertisements**: The page features ads for Evans' Ale, French Bulldogs, and a large collage of automobile advertisements from Harper's Weekly, demonstrating successful 1912 advertising strategies to potential 1913 advertisers. **"Johnnie's Golden Text"**: A brief anecdote about a six-year-old who, nervous before an audience, mishears or misstates the biblical phrase "I am the bread of life" as "I am a loaf of bread"—humor derived from innocent childhood malapropism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
(we vou™) wARRY me? Seeman A VERY CLOSE DECISION Charging for Advertisements The practise of charging for adver- tisements commenced at a very carly period. A few might at first have been inserted xratuitously, but the revenue flowing from this source was so obvious a consideration that the system soon began of charging a fixed sum for each In the Mereurius Librarius, a booksell- er's paper, it is stated that “to show that the publishers design the public ad- vantage of trade, they will expect by sixpence for inserting any book, nor but twelve pence for any other advertisement relating to the trade, unless it be ex- cessive long.” The next intimation of price is in the Jockey’s Intelligencer, which charged a shilling for cach new advertisement and sixpence for renewing. The Observator, in 1704, charged a shil- ling for eight lines, and the Country Gentleman's Courant, in 1706, ‘inserted advertisements at two pence a line. The To Keep a tight grip) upon all the benefits to mind and body afforded by your season's rest and recreation, start now with € [1 is the pleasantest and best means of following up the good results secured, and fortifying your system against’ the grind of the workaday life. The comfort and consolation of “After-Vacation ” days. Dealers or C. H. EVANS & SONS, Hudson, } NEVER-NEVER-LAND KENNELS Miss Mary Winthrop, Owner French Bull Dogs Puppies and Grown Dogs FOR SALE. From only Registered and Blue- Ribbon Stock. SHELTER ISLAND HEIGHTS, “RPE Telephone, 47 Shelter Island. Cuas, Coantemaxor Some of the Advertisers, ‘Engaged in the Automobile Industry, who have Used the Colunins of If You are Ready to Demonstrate the New 1913s, Remember that Here is Where the Successes of 1912 were shown. Public Advertiser charged for a length of time two shillings for each insertion. —From “ The Cyclopedia of Commercial Business Anecdotes.” Reprinted by fermission of the publishers, Messrs. D. Appleton & Co., New York. Johnnie's Golden Text A union Sunday-school service was held in a St. Louis church a few months ago, and the superintendent had thought that in order to make the service more impressive it would be a good plan to have six-year-old Johnnie go to the ros- trum and repeat the golden text of the morning. This Johnnie consented to do. 1787 The golden text was, “I am the bread of life.” When it came time for Johnnie's part df the programme he arose from his seat with calm assurance and walked boldly down the aisle to the rostrum. Once upon the rostrum, with the sea of faces confronting him, Johnnie ) assur- ance suddenly left him. Things looked entirely different from the platform. He hesitated, standing first on one foot and then on the other, Finally in a shaking voice he shouted: “T am—a loaf—of bread! —Kansas City S: comicbooks.com