Life, 1913-07-24 · page 16 of 40
Life — July 24, 1913 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Our Cause" (T. Roosevelt cartoon):** The top illustration depicts a traveling salesman pitching a miraculous shoe-blacking product to a skeptical farmer. The satire mocks over-aggressive salesmanship and dubious multi-purpose products—the agent frantically lists uses (shoe polish, ink, hair dye, axle grease, pest deterrent) to overcome every objection. The farmer only relents when told it keeps summer boarders from serenading on stone walls, a rural complaint. This satirizes turn-of-century advertising hype and the gullibility it exploits. **"Paterfamilias" and "Doctor" sections:** Two brief humor pieces. The first jokes about household expenses and grace-saying; the second presents a wife wanting her childish husband inoculated against "infant paralysis"—a dark medical humor bit playing on actual disease concerns of the era while mocking marital dynamics. The overall page reflects Life's satirical style: commentary on commercialism, rural-urban divides, and family absurdities through exaggerated dialogue and caricature.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘ERE “OUR CAUSE” T. Roosevelt Making a Sale “This shoe-blacking,” said the traveling salesman, paus- ing at the farmer’s door, “is the finest thing of its kind ever invented. It imparts a polish to any kind of a leather shoe which makes mirrors wholly unnecessary, and: ‘ “Lord save us, mister,” said the farmer, wearily, “we hain’t got no time for polishin’ up our boots around these here diggin’s. What with——” “ And in case you cannot use it for polishing your shoes,” the agent went on, “you will find that mixed with a little vinegar it makes an excellent quality of ink for use in your—” “No time for writin’ letters ’round here, neither,” said the farmer. “First place, we hain't got nobody to write to, and in the second place—” “While some persons,” continued the agent, “have used it for a hair-dye, and found it very successful, indeed. Gray hairs will come into the lives——” “I'm balder ’n a hen’s egg,” grinned the farmer, prov- ing his assertion by removing his hat, “and b'sides, not movin’ in high s'ciety, I don’t give a cuss whether [I’m gettin’ gray or not.” “As a substitute for axle grease,” observed the agent, undismayed, “it is unparalleled. A spoonful of it placed on any ordinary axle will make the wheels whir around like a——” “We been findin’ common garden butter good enough for that,” said the farmer. “ Plenty good enough, and so I guess ye'd better be movin-—” “And finally,” said the agent, with an appealing smile, “it’s the finest thing in the market to spread along the top of your stone walls to keep summer boarders from sitting on them in the moonlight, playing guitars, banjos, and singing college songs to their best girls.” “Gimme a dozen boxes,” said the farmer. PATEREAMICIAS (looking up from the morning paper): I don’t know what we are going to do if the expense of running our table keeps going up all the time. Tne Youncest Boy: I know what I'd do. “What, my boy?” “Well, Pop, for one thing I'd stop saying grace at meals any more.” “DOCTOR, YOU MUST INOCULATE MY HUSBAND.” “with wHaT?” “WITH INFANT PARALYSIS S' “INFANT PARALYSIS! WHY, HE IS S! BUT HE IS GETTING MORE AND MORE CHILDISH EVERY comicbooks.com