Life, 1914-01-15 · page 33 of 40
Life — January 15, 1914 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertising page** from Life magazine, mixing commercial pitches with light satirical humor pieces. The **main advertisements** promote: - **James E. Pepper whisky** — emphasizing consistent quality for "discriminating men" (contrast to competitors' variable standards) - **Indestructo Trunks** — luggage guaranteed against accidents - **Tycos Universal Weather Set** — instruments for amateur meteorologists The **satirical content** includes short humor pieces: - A joke about a Baltimore woman complaining her suitor "talks shop" as a streetcar conductor, constantly saying "Sit up closer!" - A brief piece mocking a theater critic who laments that a revival of Bronson Howard's old play "The Henrietta" lacks modern social problems (white slavery, disease, brothels) — satirizing critics who demand moralistic content over entertainment value The page reflects **early 20th-century concerns**: prohibition-era whisky marketing, the "social problem play" movement in theater, and emerging consumer product guarantees. The humor is genteel, aimed at educated readers familiar with theater and classical authors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The ordinary ‘‘com- mercial’ whisky is sold in an entirely unsatisfactory way. ‘The mere fact that the package bears a label that you may be famil- iar with, in no way insures the qua- lity of the contents of the package. Our brand, for a cen- tury and a quarter has had but one claim upon the patronage of discriminating men, i. e.—we have maintained uniform merit. Other whiskies, thru necessity possibly, have ranged from very good to extraordinarily _bad—, always under the same label. There is one thing you can always be sure of— James E. Pepper The National Whisky is as fine liquor today as it was in 1780; it will be just as fine in all the years to come. A Trial Shipment We offer to send four uarts, express prepaid (east of the ocky Mts.) for $5; with the under- standing that you may use up one quart in testing. If you desire the money re- funded after the test, you need only ask for it. The James E. Pepper Distilling Co. Lexington, Ky. Tatabllabed i700 Habit or Preference? A young woman of Baltimore was asked by a friend as to the likableness of a young chap who for some time had been paying devoted attention to the young woman in question. “Oh,” replied the fair one, carelessly, “William is a nice fellow, but he talks shop too much.” “ How's that?” was the next question. “T thought he was a street car con- ductor.” “So he is,” returned the other, “and he’s continually saying, ‘Sit up closer!’ —Seattle Argus. AN amateur astronomer was delivering a lecture on the heavenly bodies. “ How long is it since you came down from the * asked Diogencs. igliea|s A Disconcerted Critic (From the New York World.) Sympathy is deserved by the dramatic critic of the Evening Post who complain- ingly remarks in a review of “ The Hen- rietta” that “it is essentially a thing of the footlights and is to be judged pri- marily as entertainment”. That is one trouble with revivals of plays produced before the era of moral uplift in stagecraft. Their appeal was mainly to an unsophisticated intelligence, and no amount of revamping can ma- terially change it. What, then, can a conscientious critic do but throw up his hands in despair at a play in which there is no hint of white slavery, no disease problems and not a scene sug- gestive of the brothel? Bronson Howard was a favorite stage author of his day, and “ The Henrietta” one of his most popular plays. Yet it is only necessary to sce it, “ improved" as it is, to realize how antiquated and obsolete stage art of his kind has be- come. Here is a play devoted to the mere entertainment of audiences, which in the hands of a playwright of the new school might have been made “ vital” with social problems and tense with situations inviting police interference. What a play, indced, “ The Henrietta ” might yet be with Bertie the Lamb as a “cadet”, the Widow Opdyke a member of Mrs. Warren's profession and Nich- olas Van Alstyne her ward-boss backer, and with all three engaged in abducting the heroine for immoral purposes! Critics would then find its review a less perplexing task. But it was the fate of Bronson Howard to live before the advent of the “new” drama, when the- atres were not “pulled” by the police, like gambling-houses and bagnios. interest is uni- s are governed a a only in respect to Every breeze, every our ignorance of }, every storm ‘has its passing shower, every “WEATH temperature, the humidity, rainfall. sunshine, ete. YOU tan KNOW the weather with a “ « UNIVERSAL Tycos WEATHER SET the instruments needed by any ene interested ta thie absorling sulject, to enable them to frvord passing Wed this “Ty coe" Universal Weather Set 1s given a pad ot the records tay. be Price Universal Set complete $20.00 An interesting booklet descriptive of “Tycos" Sets of " "Weather Inetraments mailed on regeest Taylor Instrument Companies 27 Hague St, Rochester, N. Y. Scientific Instruments of Superiority deals with the air, the § Indestructo Travelers regard travel from a somewhat differ- ent viewpoint than their less fortunate companions. They experience no doubts or misgivin jas to the reliability of their baggage. There is but one step between travel sfaction and travel discomfort ; a broken trunk ; 3 and Indestructo Travelers have care- fully guarded against that step in buying an | Indestructo Trunk. | BUY |NDEstrucT[] BAGGAGE Every Indestructo Trunk is insured against any kind of accident for five years from the day you buy it. Consequently the Jars and jolts that your baggage receives means nothing to you. You know that we have promised you a new trunk it anything happens. And you know that we must make a mighty good trunk in order to stand that rigid guarantee. Made in all styles and sizes trom $15 to $100. f | National Veneer Products Co. 901 Beiger Street Mishawaka, Indiana “ PERSONALLY CONDUCTED” comicbooks.com