Life, 1914-07-02 · page 35 of 44
Life — July 2, 1914 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on Prohibition-era America mixed with period advertising. **"The Launching of Our New Warship"** mocks the temperance movement through absurdist humor. The warship "Extreme Caution" is launched with malted milk instead of champagne—a jab at Prohibition advocates. The crew consists of "barbers and men milliners" (stereotypically effeminate professions), and weapons use talcum powder instead of gunpowder. The satire suggests that Prohibition will emasculate American military power and that overly cautious policies produce ineffectual results. **"The Joke—He Never Thought of B.V.D."** is a straightforward advertisement for men's undergarments, using heat relief as its selling point—likely aimed at summer comfort. **"Peace of Mind Wanted"** is a sharp satirical ad mocking wealthy industrialists who want "pure" profits untainted by worker exploitation or consumer harm. It exposes the hypocrisy of capitalists seeking moral legitimacy while refusing to change unethical business practices. The page reflects post-WWI American anxieties about Prohibition's effects and class tensions during the early 1920s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Launching of Our New Warship (A Future News Item.) CTOBER 12, 1920.—To-day was launched the latest of Uncle Sam's big drinknaughts, the Extreme Caution. There was present an un- usually large crowd of invalids in wheel-chairs, which gave the occasion a gala aspect. Promptly at the hour set a large chorus of falsetto voices swung into the sturdy old sea song, “Sixteen men on a dead man’s chest, Yo ho! and a bottle of some very sweet essence!” and, as the vessel slid off the ways, Pansy Smith, daughter of the third assistant secretary of the Chautauqua circuit, smashed a bottle of malted milk over the bows. mre eat iso tte wet oe aot |The Joke—He Never Thought of B. V. D. | will be manned by nine hundred bar- bers and men milliners. The turrets ANNING, Mopping and grimacing, ‘‘Phew! how hot,” wov’t ; are equipped with sixteen-inch guns, cach of which will handle <ight. shells keep you cool, when the sun grills. B.V. D. w7//. It lifts a minute, and each shell is charged . . ) «With one hundred pounds of tateum a burden from your body and weight from your mind. a ee te heat nia een You forget the heat, because you're too busy “‘enjoying life”’— ; fire sewing machines, and the hull, fore lounging, dancing, a game of golf, a bout at tennis, watching and aft, is furnished with tl vest : : devices for launching tubes of tier |@ baseball game. Get into B. V. D. and Jock and feel cool. water at the unsuspecting enemy. She will have her time trials next For your own welfare, fix the B. V. D. week, and is expected to make at least Red Woven Label in your mind and five beau-knots an hour, a make the salesman show it to you. H.J.S. That positively safeguards you. every B. V. D. Undergarment is sewed 8.V. D. Coat CutUndersbirts and Kaee Length Graphite Lubricants { Drawer, $0, 73 $1.00 and 81.50 the Gur B. V. D. Union Scits (Pat U.S.A. 4-30-07) $1.00, $1.50, $2,00, $3.00 and $5.00 the Suit. put the double-cross { The B.V. D. Company, on that busy little : New York. jinx called “Friction.” Looten Seillag Agency: 66, AMdermanbury, B. C. Peace of Mind Wanted ‘ANTED—Peace of Mind. Gentleman who has more money than he knows what to do with is in the market for devices which will increase his peace of mind He desires to have his immense profits come to him in a thoroughly purified, sterilized and glorified condition. They must not be redolent of competitors cruelly crushed; they must not reek with the labor and lifeblood of little lads and fassies; THE JOSEPH DIXON CRUCIBLE CO. they must not carry the curses of consumers who have been made to pay the highest JERSEY CITY,N. J. prices that could be extorted from them. In order to get this peace of mind, I am > willing to sacrifice everything except my methods of doing business and the profits Established in 1827 thereof. In writing, state best rates for large quantities and cash discount. Address Equally good for motor boats or motor cars, “Words of Wisdom from the Speed Kings” is worth reading. We will gladly send it, at your request, along with our Lubricating Chart.