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Life, 1915-05-13 · page 40 of 52

Life — May 13, 1915 — page 40: what you’re looking at

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Life — May 13, 1915 — page 40: Life, 1915-05-13

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes Herbert Croly's book *Progressive Democracy*. The satire mocks progressive political writing for its deliberately obscure, jargon-filled language. The four quoted passages exemplify this—each makes simple points through needlessly complex syntax. The headline itself parodies this style: "Progressive Labyrinthine Circumlocution" means progressives speak in confusing, roundabout ways. The joke is that Croly, despite claiming to advance democratic education, writes in deliberately opaque language that ordinary citizens cannot understand. This contradicts progressivism's stated goal of making politics accessible. The satire suggests progressive intellectuals are more interested in sounding sophisticated than communicating clearly—the opposite of simplified, democratic discourse. The advertisements (Smith & Wesson pistol, Vacuum Cup tires) are typical period content unrelated to the satire.

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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

872 A Oa ee Progressive Labyrinthine Circumlocution k. HERBERT CROLY is neither the poct laureate nor the prose laureate of what is left of the Progressive yet he is supposed to speak with a certain authority in his book, “ Progressive Democracy”. The following selections from the book are selected more or less randomly : No plebiscite can bestow authenticity upon an ostensibly democratic political system which approximates in practice to the exercise of executive omnipotence. Wesson If the organization of political democracy for educational purposes is of so * much importance, the educational organization of democracy in its economic aspect Automatic is certainly of no less importance. Doubly safe - If progressive democracy can arrange for a socially educative distribution of = work, the socially desirable distribution of wealth will take care of itself. BL And these are quite sufficient to show that whatever else progressivism is, it does Safety for your not stand for simplified syntax. On the contrary, it seems to be the implacable foe “ of monosyllabic articulation, family when you : are away. Safe for a woman to use; safe where there are chil- rr dren. Fires when you in- tend to—not before. C Cleaning simple—noth- ing to.unscrew. Accurate . g v4 and strong—all Smith & _ g ¥g Wessons are. v4 4 == Get your dealer to show H vd vd you the special features ¥g of the Smith & Wesson gy Automatic, H rd g Fe Booklet. on request. gy g SMITH & WESSON Pd ‘A seer by re A g 806 Stockbridge St., Springfield, Mass. TT \verage Certi y ie Auto- g mobile Club of America in the v4 Every; Smith, & Wesson is the Best of its kind T g official test with heavy cars of vd = epee = vd Strictly Stock Pennsylvania Oilproof y ~ VACUUM CUP TIRES 1 gy HESE are the only tires that The Vacuum Cup 4 g have ever been submitted to Anti-Skid Feature official certified endurance test, — _ g if N74 and are therefore the tires offering This increased wear resistance also vd t¥4 definite mileage assurance based on greatly prolongs the guaranteed anti-- \ impartial authority. skid quality of the Vacuum Cups— [vd ¥ This proved mileage applies first to heavy their effective life being more than g RV car service. As is well known with light doubled. E cars, tire mileage increases in proportion to Qn slippery pavements the Vacuum Cups vd g the reduction in weight. have a perfect suction grip, acting on the Pe Moreover, even the A. C. A. oficial average, only principle by which a rubber projection g which was made in 1914, falls short of indi- can grip a smooth wet surface. rd H gy cating the full mileages to be expected from Under our new price schedule, Vacuum 1915 Vacuum Cup Tires. Cup Tires are the lowest priced tires on the AWA N74 A new toughening process developed and market of those having any sort of anti-skid A Ped applied by us has been showing not less feature added to the regular thickness of vd | than $0% increase in wearing quality. ” tread, gl , 4 ting new pri gy g Puregum Red Inner Tubs u WON - F ¥ WwW Pennsylvania Rubber Company, Jeannette, Pa. Pd ¥ \\ Direct factory branches and service agencies g | c "ercbrmess? throughout the United States and Canada vd L949! rusband (returning at two A, M.): 18 TIRAVEN'S 5. DON'T SAY IT—VoU'LL ya vaeLeh UL eh vat h VA VATA AUAUAVATAVAVATACA AVATAR ATA 0A494 ny Comicbooks.com