Life, 1914-05-21 · page 43 of 52
Life — May 21, 1914 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **social commentary and advertisements** rather than a cartoon. The main editorial, "The Increase in Selfishness," critiques modern American society as increasingly self-centered. The author argues that women, particularly, are susceptible to urban "gregarious intoxication" and channel selfish impulses into ostensibly noble causes like women's suffrage and the tango—activities the author dismisses as mere sensation-seeking disguised as social benefit. This reflects **early 20th-century anti-suffrage sentiment**, positioning women's political activism as emotional rather than principled. The advertisements below promote industrial products (Timken bearings, Kelly-Springfield tires) using reliability narratives—a taxi surviving 157,000 miles—to establish brand trust. The page reflects **progressive-era anxieties about urbanization, gender roles, and women's expanding public participation**, framing female activism skeptically rather than seriously.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Increase in Selfishness GTORENTS of sociology and history are fond of trying to discover what is the dominant trait of any age; of that kind of force which, tending too far in any one direction, its own peculiar slant. May it, there- fore, not be said that the dominant trait of the present age—at least here in, America—is selfishness? Being selfish on your own hook, and in a normal, natural, usual way, is living in your own house and minding your own business. Nowadays people live in others’ houses and mind every- body's business but their own. This advanced, inordinate and mon- strous selfishness takes the form of large public movements, outwardly assumed to be for the public good; in reality, to satisfy the emotional and pathological cravings of the instigators. As country life, with its sense of calm- ness, its occupation in apparently trivial and slow-moving affairs, recedes, it is succeeded by city life of high pressure and immense activity. Women, who are constitutionally less able to with- stand this gregarious intoxication, are carried away by it, and soon acquire a craving for new sensations, which must be satisfied. These sensations often take on the outward form of some- thing which appears to be of benefit to the race as a whole, because it is so much easier to be complacent over your own selfishness, if you can fool your- self by thinking it is unselfishness. Thus we have women addicted to the tango defending it on the ground that it is healthful; and we have many women crying out for woman suffrage on the ground that it is the only thing that will save the race, when the truth is that, in taking it up, they are simply victims of a newer selfishness which compels them to seek to gratify their cerebral excitement in this way. The plain and obvious duties of life they hecome wstomed to shirking. 157,000 Miles in a Taxi One hundred and fifty-seven thousand miles of the hardest kind of riding! It’snight and day with the taxi. Always ina hurry— take the shortest road 10 matter how rough—anything to gain time! Pell-mell across, car tracks! Rush! Make the train! Down below soft cushions and resilient springs—dovn in the axles—the Timl.en Roller Bearings stood this rough riding for five and a half years in a Shaw taxicab. Not only took the 157,000 miles of shock and vibration but carried the entire weight of taxi and passengers, Not a roller was worn out or broken—not a penny was paid for bearing repair or replacement. What's more, this taxi is only one of the Shaw Company's original thirty-one taxicabs, Their average mileage record over Chicago streets is “Oy miles, One of them is shown in the photograph below. ‘There are very real and casily understood reasons for the remarkable service- records of Timken Tapered Roller Bearings and of Tim- ken-Detroit Axles. These are told in a very concise and interesting way in the Timken Primers ‘On Bearings” and “On Axles." Another book- let names the cars that ride on Timkens. Write today for the three Timken booklets. Sent free, postpaid, on request to Depart- ment H-7, either Timken Com- pany, The Timken Roller Bearing Co., Canton, Ohio The Timken-Detroit Azle Co., Detroit, vases OY TIMKEN BEARINGS & AXLES Kelly- Springfield Automobile ne See aN, Switzerland is headquarters for watches only because the Swiss watchmakers cared more for their reputation than for turning out quantities of watches. The Kelly-Springfield agency in your city is headquarters for tires and tubes only hecause we think more of our reputation than of a large output. It takes time to make tires by hand—but we believe in it and, what's more, we do it. LY-SPRINGFIELD TIRE COMPANY Branch oficen: New York, Chicago, Philadelphia. Woston, Seatie Atlanta. Clacinvatl, Sun Francaca Vos Angee Cleveland. Lona: Dette, Aion, Tather Coc itsaton, Tess Cor. B’way & 57th St., N. Y. Atkinson Tire & Sapply Co.. Jacksonville. Fls Central Rater & Supply Co.. Todianapolis, Ind, CD. Fraske & Co, Committees ALLE over this country some one is saying: “T move that a commit- tee be appointed.” If all the com- mittees appointed each day were lined up, they would exceed the number doctors. Every committee makes report, which is received either thanks accompanied by resolution, is laid on the table, or else placed on file. Placing things on file is a whole occupation by itself. Not to be on a committee is to argue oneself un- portant. comicbooks.com