Life, 1915-02-11 · page 4 of 44
Life — February 11, 1915 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a satirical editorial titled "There's Nothing In It," addressing rumors that Life planned to launch a humorous competitor publication. The editorial denies this, calling such rumors harmful and conducive to "idle people to scandalous gossip." The accompanying caricature shows an angry, scowling face—likely representing either a competitor publication or the rumor itself personified as an antagonistic force. The editorial emphasizes Life's commitment to humor while offering subscription deals, and concludes with a contest announcement offering $970 in prizes for contributions at twenty-five dollars per word, mentioning Charles Dana Gibson as a judge. This appears to be internal damage control, using satire to dismiss business competition rumors while simultaneously promoting the magazine's own offerings.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
There’s Nothing In It The rumor that Lire intends to issue another humorous paper has of late been gathering force and persistence until we feel that something should be done to mitigate its baleful influence. Such a story is calculated to do us great harm. It has encouraged a lot of idle people to scandalous gossip. Once and for all, therefore, we declare that Lire has no intention of issuing another humorous number. The last one almost swamped us. This statement, coming direct from headquarters, ought to stimulate the hesitating ones to send in their subscriptions. Lire will, of course, occasionally print something laughable. This, even with the strictest vigilance, cannot always be avoided. We are all human. By sending in one dollar (see coupon) you can, how- ever, be reasonably certain that a three months’ subscrip- tion to Lire will be free from anything humorous. If you want to be cheered up, subscribe to the Congressional Record. That paper is Fill of humorous things. It’s a good antidote to Lire, Together they strike a fair average. We have yearly subscriptions also, accompanied by a handsome premium pictufe. The price is about five dollars, but we refuse absolutely to give the extras for postage. We have no head for figures. We wouldn't remember such a fearful combination if we could. Only a commercial business office, which insists upon our printing the cheap-looking coupon at the right-hand bot- tom corner of this otherwise amusing page, would be guilty. Special Offer Enclosed find One Dol- lar (Canadian $1.13, Foreign $1.26). " Send Lire for three months to Twenty-five Dollars a Word to Contributors In the next issue of Lire will begin the most stupendous, thrilling, astounding, absorbing, amusing, fascinating and in- tensely emotional contest ever placed before the unsuspecting reader by the most reckless periodical. $870 in prizes will be given to the contributors of the best title to a picture by Open, only to new subscribers; no sub- Charles Dana Gibson. $500 for the first prize of twenty words, scription renewed at this rate. or at the rate of $25 a word. See next week's Lire. LIFE, 17 West 31st Street, New York One Year, $5.00. (Canadian, $5.52; Foreign, $6.04.)