Life, 1915-12-30 · page 37 of 41
Life — December 30, 1915 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct advertisements and content pieces: **Left side:** Fownes Gloves ad emphasizes reliability and good taste—a straightforward product pitch with no satirical content. **Center:** A cynical historical timeline titled "All in About 500 Years" that appears to mock imperial expansion cycles: barbarism→civilization→war→victory→prosperity, then repeating with decay and despair. This likely satirizes Western colonialism and cycles of imperial rise and fall, suggesting the pattern is inevitable and self-defeating. **Right side:** A Union Pacific Railroad advertisement uses a historical engraving depicting railroad construction through Native American territory, with a quote from Gen. G. M. Dodge (1868) acknowledging tribes were "banded together and hostile." The ad reframes this violent history as noble sacrifice "for the Union," emphasizing the railroad as a "national institution." This sanitizes colonial conquest as patriotic infrastructure. **Bottom left:** A King George IV Scotch whisky ad (non-refillable bottle). The page juxtaposes commercial messaging with subtle commentary on American expansion's human cost.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
There’s nothing novel or queer about Fownes gloves. In the main they are just such handsome, substantial articles as substantial peo ple prefer to wear. Some of the styles are just radical enough to please the less sober minded. But always within the bounds of good taste. Their chief claim on your consideration is their de- pendability. They are always good gloves—always have been —and always will be. All in About 500 Years ARBARISM. Immigration to a new land. Colonization. Settle- ment. Industries. Civilization. Diplomatic relations with another country that wants to conquer. War. Victory. Population depleted. Big debts. Stimulus to art, poetry and industry. Prosperity. Pride. A national spirit. Merchants seeking new market elsewhere. War. Victory. Other countries subdued. World dominion Revolution. De- generacy. Decay. Repudiation. War. Despair, Conquered. “ Past glories.” "King : eorge lV WHISKY Non-refillable bottle Clarity HOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not clarity, 1 am become as sounding brass, or a tin cymbal. Clarity puffeth not itself up nor behaveth itself ambiguously in the public places. Clarity acteth so simply that anybody beholding it s way believeth that they can do likewise, yet when they try it on they find themselves hor involved. Clarity casteth not aside simple phrases nor betrayeth itself into ornateness, just for the sake of appearing to be wise. For whether there be stylists they shall fail, or whether there be pedants they shall be found out, or whether there be bombastic and verbose and pro found philosophers, they likewise shall be exposed. But clarity abideth and in the long run will reveal the truth to babes. There be these three things—Faith, Hope and Clarity, but the greatest of these is Clarity. “The road has been built throughan Indian country with all the tribes banded together and hostile."—From speech of Gen. G. M. Dodge in Congress, 1868. "THE men who built this road fought and worked by turn —inspired with a great ideal. They spanned a continent with a trail of blood and iron—for the sake of the Union—and their road is the Union Pacific. The spirit of the builders is alive today in the hearts of the men who labor to improve this railroad and to conduct its operations. They work together for this great property as for a national institution. This esprit de corps affects favorably everyone who comes in contact with the Union Pacific—as traveler or shipper. UNION PACIFIC SYSTEM Joins East and West with a Boulevard of Steel Gerrit Fort, PT. M. Union Pacific System Chicago, Tl. comicbooks.com