Life, 1913-03-06 · page 39 of 72
Life — March 6, 1913 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **book review section** ("Confidential Book Guide") with two black-and-white illustrations labeled "Easter Morning" at the top, attributed to sculptor Auguste Rodin. The page includes a satirical essay on **Lawyers**, which mocks the legal profession's cost structure. The humor attacks a fundamental contradiction: lawyers claim to operate under Roman law established "two thousand years ago," yet charge modern fees reflecting "increased cost of living" since then—suggesting they've simply inflated ancient precedent to justify contemporary rates. The essay's punchline distinguishes between "successful" lawyers (hired by wealthy corporations) and "unsuccessful" ones (court-appointed to those without money). This cynical observation reflects early 20th-century skepticism about whether legal systems genuinely serve justice or merely wealthy clients. The broader context criticizes American business ethics, referencing "wooden nutmegs"—a historical reference to Connecticut fraudsters who exported inferior goods—suggesting Americans inherit dishonest commercial traditions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
to recognize both its intrinsic worth and its right to preservation. But are we in America never going to understand that honesty has a more dynamic basis of value than that of ing (semi-occasionally) a good busi- ness policy? Just because the fathers made wooden nutmegs, are the chil- dren forever going to demand imita- tion spice? J. B. Kerfoot. Lawyers LAWYER ranges your future destiny, ac- cording to a rule laid down about two is a man who ar- thousand years ago by some Roman. But when he charges you, he adds on the increased cost of living between that date and this. awyers are divided into two The successful and the un- The successful lawyers are those employed by large corpora- tions, the unsuccessful are those as- signed to you by the court when you haven't enough money to hire a suc- cessful one. EASTER MORNING “ es Art, by Auguste Rodin. page. Auction of To-doy. by Milton C. Work. _A treatise on the modern game by the inventor of the new count. The Business of Being a Woman, by Ida M. Tarbell. Essays whose frequent- ly wise conservatism is offset by their even more pervasive reactionary bias. A Christmas Garland. by Max. Beer- bohm. An amusing collection of paro- dies of the literary manner and satires on the mental peculiarities of prominent writers. The Crock of Gold, by James Stephens. A delightful fantasy, compounded of fun, folk-lore and fairies, by one of the new Irish writers. A Guide to the United States for the Jewish Immigrant, by John W. Foster. ‘An interesting English translation of a Hebrew booklet of advice and instruc- tions. Hail and Farewell, Salve. by George Moore. A. second—and for a while a less entertaining—volume of this writer's Irish reminiscences. Life of Mirabeau, by S. G, Tallentyre. Another vividly presented biographical Sce previous ¥¢<CONFIDENTIAL BOOK GUIDE ¥ conception by the author of “The Life Voltaire” and “ The Friends of Vol The Man Who Came Back, by John Fleming Wilson, From Shanghai to Fifth avenue. The return log of a down and outer. May Iverson Tackles Life, by Fliza- beth Jordan. A_ volume in’ which the popular pupil of “ St. Catherine's” tries her hand at solving “ problems. A Miscellany of Men, by G. K. Ches- terton. A collection of papers that range all the way from spontancous_G. K. C. sparkles to electro-plated Chesterton output. The Moth. by William Dana, Orcutt A story by an admirer of Mrs. Grundy’s, who is trying to write down to the level of her detractors. Pancho McClish, by Herbert Coolidge. A nice little genre story of the West, which ends in a Buffalo Bill finale. Thirteen Yeors of a Busy Woman's Life, by Mrs. Alee Tweedy. A generous volume of reminiscences, recollections, anecdotes and egoisms, put up in the syrup of sentiment. Venus, by Auguste Rodin. : Sce preced- ing page comicbooks.com