Life, 1913-10-23 · page 38 of 40
Life — October 23, 1913 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines advertisements with editorial content satirizing power and morality. **The Whisky Ad** (left): James E. Penner Whisky claims Kentucky superiority and endorsement by thousands of physicians—typical early-20th-century patent medicine marketing that exploited unregulated medical claims. **"Old Adages Disproved"** (bottom): A satirical essay arguing that the sword (military/physical power) has always preceded the pen (civilization/writing) in human affairs. It mocks the notion that writing has eliminated violence, claiming the pen merely advertises the sword's power while those in charge maintain control through force. **The Ainslee's Magazine Ad** (center-right): Lists contemporary authors (Leonard Merrick, Neith Boyce, etc.) to promote the magazine's November issue, targeting educated readers who value literary fiction. **The Dean Swift Quote** above sardonically comments on hypocrisy: people use religion to justify hatred and greed rather than genuine love. The page's overall message critiques how civilization uses various tools—religion, writing, advertising—to mask underlying power structures based on force and self-interest.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
all ages have always used it.in prefer- ence to the pen. Their use of the pen, indeed, is principally for the purpose of fooling everybody into thinking that they don’t care much for the sword, unless they need it to carry out the will of God by increasing their own A possessions. i F f wh F “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not cnough to make us love one another."—Dean Swift. Kentucky Printing Term: “THREE COLOR WoRK” r made whisky : ——— . = hasalwaysled the world; see that Can You Reap? : ‘ you get the recognized best. James E. Pepper Turse Preorte Can Write: Whisky | : Bottled in Bond -—endorsed and used in Eh practice by 37,814 Leonard Merrick physicians; continually produced for 133 years; | . ; leader by priority Neith Boyce A aod ‘isintenence Reginald Wright Kauffman 5 ality. Tin aretha Kate Jordan rere | John Fleming Wilson distributor for $5. The James E. Pepper Charles Saxby Distilling Co, Fiala | John Kendrick Bangs QNo more delightful medium for putting the people who really can read into touch with those who really = = can write was ever designed than the November number Old Adages Disproved of Ainslee’s with its two brilliant novelettes and eleven Phat the, Bewl-ds aigbiier’ Thaw: the unusual short stories. HE oan Se eal Aigo a Q Proof of this can be obtained now at the nearest news- manuscript accepted on the same day. stand for fifteen cents. His head was temporarily turned hy false prosperity. He thought he had written an epigi In the first place, the sword was doing business before the pen was ever thought of. It was a 9 houschold word at the time they were cutting jokes in bricks. In the second | although the pen has been try- ing its best for generations to eliminate the sword, it has only succeeded in “The Magazine that Entertains” advertising it. There is no argument “ ina sword. But its chief power comes from the fact that the leading men in comicbooks.com