Life, 1914-08-27 · page 39 of 44
Life — August 27, 1914 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page mixes product advertisements with sharp social commentary typical of early 20th-century Life magazine. The main satirical piece, "From Vanderbilt to Mellen," compares two wealthy industrialists' contemptuous remarks about the public. It contrasts the elder Vanderbilt's blunt "The public be d—d" with Charles Mellen's (a railroad executive) supposedly more "refined" statement that he's come to "steal away the liberties" of Massachusetts citizens. The satire's point: Mellen's polite phrasing masks the same arrogant disregard for ordinary people, suggesting society hasn't actually become more cultured—just more hypocritical. A secondary piece, "Will He Pass?," sarcastically attacks workman's compensation laws that favor unmarried workers, using bitter humor to critique both government policy and married men's lack of social value. The advertisements (Dixon's lubricants and Schlitz beer) occupy the remaining space—standard commercial content typical of the magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SE RES No need to worry about the lubrication of the bearings when you use DIXON’S Graphite Lubricants They put Old Man Friction in the discard, keep the bearings free from the grind of metal-to- metal contact, add life to the car and take the sting out of repair bills. Equally good for motor boats. Send for Lubricating Chart THE JOSEPH DIXON CRUCIBLE CO. JERSEY CITY, N. J. Dod Established in 1827 « Will He Pass? M¢RRIED men in New York State, according to F. Spencer Baldwin, manager of the State Insurance Fund, are not particularly favored by the new workman's compensation act. He says, speaking of the action of employ- ers under this new act: “Tt is to their interest to employ single men, because in the event of their death no annuity is paid.” But, then, why should married men be favored, anyway? They were cer- tainly not favored by the income tax, which makes no allowance for addi- tions to his family, What use is a married man if he happens to be respectable? He is con- stantly liable to raise uneugenic chil- dren, who only increase the number of those who cannot get seats in our public schools, He has to work so hard making money enough to enable his wife to spend her time in depart- ment stores and millinery establish- ments, and his sons and daughters at baseball games and moving-picture shows, that he himself has no time to be intelligent. He is a superfluous entity at the wedding, and this fate follows him through life. He cuts no figure in the family circles because he is too dull to be a companion. A poor creature anyway you look at him. No wonder the government wants to ex- terminate him. F,UROPEAN legerdemain—Turning the “Watch on the Rhine” into an alarm-clock. From Vanderbilt to Mellen HAT progress is our civilization making? Are we, as a people, becoming more distinguished? Perhaps the answer to this question lies in a comparison of the utterances of our great men. Years ago the elder Vanderbilt is said to have remarked, rather crudely and vulgarly: “The public be d—d.” Note how we have improved since then; how much more cultured we have grown, as illustrated by the delicate vein of humor in Mr, Mellen, who, when he recently visited Boston, remarked to the reporters: “Tell the dear Boston public that I am here to steal away the liberties of the people of Massachusetts.”, Could anything be more “advanced”, more admirable in its subtlety, than the suggestion that the people of Massachusetts, at this late day, have any liberties? Why Take the Risk of your beer becoming impure? You are not asked to take a similar risk with other kinds of food. And yet, every time you buy beer in a light bottle you must assume the burden of keeping it away from light to avoid that skunky taste. Get Schlitz Brown Bottle, and you get beer that is kept pure from the brew- ery to your glass. phLEZ. That Made Milwaukee Famous. KEboo)