Life — May 15, 1913 — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

) and Flush. pers gular sen- $ one These f ioner sor | ound- gular 4 ,ask= Pass tizen it the z the | Were | have | sfully | t the | | H | i t de- mm black asa rald. -LIFE-_ The Great State of West Virginia NE day, through no fault of his own, the Man from Mars found himself within the uncouth confines of West Virginia. Not far from the capital city he came upon a large number of soldiers all bedecked in majestic uniform and at- tending, apparently, to the humdrum de- tails of every day existence. The Man from Mars approached a natty little Lieutenant. “ How's this?” he asked with a puzzled expression. “I am still in the United States, am I not?” The Lieutenant smiled indulgently. “Ob, yes,” was the reply, “after a man- ner of speaking, you are still in the United States. This is the Great State of West Virginia.” “Why does every State call itself a Great State?” inquired the Man from Mars. “Oh, just a boasting habit,” declared the Lieutenant, “It means nothing.” “But why do you have so many soldiers down here on regular duty? Is it a war?” “Well—we don’t exactly call it a war. If we called it a war, the newspapers would give us too much publicity. No, it’s just a way we have down here—just a Henry Gassoway way.” “Do you find it a better way?” The Licutenant looked about carefully to make sure there was none to over- hear. “Listen,” he began in a hoarse whisper, and drew close to the Man from Mars. “This is the funniest little State you ever heard of. It is practically owned, body, boots and breeches, moun- tain, mine and militia, by a single fam- iy. You know what that means. It means that this family, its heirs, repre- sentatives and Senators forever, do things absolutely to suit themselves.” “Subject, of course, to the Constitu- tion of the United States,” interposed the Man from Mars. “Subject to nothing except what the people will stand,” replied the Lieutenant disdainfully. “And are the people patient?" queried the Martian. “For along time they were,” answered the Lieutenant, “but more recently they became so impatient—the mine laborers particularly—that the operators thought it best to hire armed detectives or guards to shoot them down on various Rot-overly-nice pretexts.” “Did that help the situation?” “Strange to say, it did not. It only served to make the mine laborers still more dissatisfied and some of them even thought they had as good a right to carry arms and to shoot as the mine guards had.” “Hadn't they?” “Ob, no. That would never work?” “What was done about it?” “The civil authorities—so-called— finally decided that the situation was be- yond them and thereupon the soldiers ‘Were put in charge and martial law was declared.” “What is martial law?” (Concluded on next page) Get Your Punch Back Punch is what the business or professional man needs to regain on his vacation. It is the essence of life. It means success when you have it, failure when you don’t. Its loss represents the toll taken by toil. If you have lost your punch, if your initi- ative is flagging, you need a vacation, But you need the right kind of a vacation, vaca- tion that will put vim in you. To get your punch back there is no better prescription than a loaf in the Maine woods or on the New England uplands. Get the smell of the woods, the odor of balsam and pine. Tighten up your muscles by tramping over the hills. Youcan fish in limpid lakes hemmed in by pine forests and overlooked by mountains, some green clad and some of granite. And as a punch producer there is nothing like a game of golf in the shadow of the White Mountains. It is a region renowned for its hotels and golf links. For the motorist no other part of the country can hold such charms. If you are worn out and have a case of nerves don’t consume any more of your vitality in deciding your vacation. Choose New Eng- land for your vacation ground. ‘Take a train and you are there without discomfort ready to enjoy the delight of a wonderful wilderness watered by beautiful lakes and streams or of the hillside and mountains of New England where yearly thousands regain their health and strength. Address, Vacation Bureau, The New England Lines, Room 574, South Station, Boston, Mass. comicbooks.com