Life, 1913-04-03 · page 37 of 52
Life — April 3, 1913 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This story satirizes the corrupting influence of sudden wealth and the shallow nature of charity. A poor but morally upright man borrows a million dollars from "the Richest Man in the World" using only his reputation for good character as collateral. The satire unfolds as the man immediately squanders the money on houses, automobiles, and business ventures—indulgent consumption rather than meaningful investment. The punchline emerges when he encounters a charity sign and, now wealthy, donates $1,000 to it. The joke's point appears to be ironic: the man's "character"—the single quality valued enough to secure a fortune—is instantly abandoned once he has money. His charitable donation isn't genuine altruism but performative spending by a newly wealthy person. Life is mocking both the notion that character alone should guarantee credit, and the hypocrisy of the rich who pose as philanthropists while primarily serving themselves. The page also contains period advertisements (Yale locks, facial exercises) unrelated to the narrative.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“T want to borrow a million.” The visitor, a slight but rather prepossessing looking individual, who carried with him an air of great carn- estness, stepped into the office of The Richest Man in the World. This gen- tleman, crunching his cigar, and look- ing him over keenly, said: “What is your collateral?” “Ah!” The visitor put his hand in his pocket and produced a package of papers. “Here are my credentials,” he said, “from friends, from neigh- bors and officials, from men of stand- ing—all proving beyond doubt that I have the one thing necessary which you insist- upon—character.” The Richest Man. in the World, go- ing rapidly. but carefully, over the pa- pers, rang the bell. An official entered. “Give this gentleman a million dollars and charge it to my account. Good morning, , “Good morning.” The official led the way out of the office and after the usual clerical pre- liminaries gave him a certified check for one million dollars, for which the Earnest Gentleman wrote out a re- ceipt. Two hours later he was depositing this money in his local bank The next morning he had bought a house. The morning after that he had bought four automobiles. The following week he planned a trip to the Yosemite On the same day he bought an aban- doned factory, arranged for the man- agement thereof and laid the plans to establish a flourishing business. These activities were only a small part of his | expenditures. One day, as he was walking up one of the principal avenues, he paused and, looking up, saw a sign “ CHARITY.” mancst« YOUR FAC aioe f | i} And Restore Youthful Expression and Beauty Wheo the akin and muscles of i the face mage ata nd Muscles of the face lose thelr els {ZX mouth and forehead, become tabby." The shin S24 deep lines form, Pre inns) of ‘ial exercises. by restoring elasticity to the | {iia and “muscies, removes and prevents these marks of ase. Ie Ws equaly valuable for too thin or too plump Taee oF necks Stage HER. Wibratory. "ciectrieal apd other exterhal teestmeents cont EG eres the wuperBcial muscles weil and they connor exereoe (cs at all. These deep muscles mane OF preserve youthful appearance. peabeeeicns My new booklet, “Facial Faereise.”" full . “Fae 7 describes my system, utalt Bow Young’ women may enbance abd preserve. and Now re women ray ‘Noone 13 too old to | inet tite for my book today—FREE. | KATHRYN MURRAY, Pept. 114, 417 S. Dearborn St., CHICAGO “YALE” MARKED LOCKS N proportion as you possess possessions, you need locks to lock them up. Therefore, you need a word under which you can buy locks that are secure, well made, attractive and easy to use. That word is the name “Yale.” A ‘Yale’? marked Jock is a lock that is absolutely the best for its purpose, whether it is a simple padlock or a complicated bank lock. Our “‘Book For Burglars** is more interesting to others. Better send for it. The Yale & Towne Mfg. Co. 9 Murray Street, New York Makers of Yate Propucts He mounted the steps; he entered the elevator; he knocked at the door; he was ushered in. “It has occurred to me that a little check would be acceptable. The lady in charge smiled discreetly but none the less benignly. “I can as- sure you, sir, that you are quite right LOOK—A Water Proofed Cloth Alpine ! Anything which you care to give—"” A ee aie Ree ae The gentleman wrote out a check for one thousand dollars, (Continued on next page) comicbooks.com