Life, 1916-03-23 · page 36 of 52
Life — March 23, 1916 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine (a satirical publication, not the photo magazine) contains short humorous anecdotes and advertisements typical of early 20th-century American humor. The "Automatic Efficiency" joke satirizes how modern technology (telephone switchboard culture) infiltrates everyday life—a sleep-deprived telephone operator, trained to respond to numbers, automatically answers "The line is busy" when hearing a hymn number. Other brief jokes mock social conventions: women proposing to men, a woman's tactless consolation about an unadmirable suitor, and a couple's dispute about clothing expenses. The humor relies on mild social commentary about gender roles and class. The page is primarily **advertising**—products like Egyptian Deities cigarettes, Evans's Depilatory (hair removal), Great Bear Spring Water, and prominently, Faultless Pajamas dominate. The ads reflect period concerns: personal grooming, health tonics, and genteel evening wear. Harper's Magazine advertises summer camps for children, targeting middle-class readers. The satire is gentle and domestic, typical of *Life*'s early 20th-century tone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Automatic “ Efficiency ” Related by the Phillipsburg News-Dis- patch: A young lady telephone operator recently attended a watch-night service and fell asleep during the sermon. At the close the preacher said: “We will now sing hymn number three forty-one— three forty-one.” The young lady, just waking in time to hear the number, yawned and said, “The line is busy."—Kansas City Star. GREAT BEAR SPRING WATER 5O cents the case of 6 glass stoppered bottles Miss Vixe: Do you favor women pro- posing? Mas. Oaks: Certainly not. When a woman picks out a man she should make him propose.—Chicago Tribune. Sliced Oranges with a dash of Abbott's Bittora are appetiz- Ing and healthfal. Samplo of bitters by mall 23 cts. tn stamps. C. W, Abbott & Co., Baltimore, Md. Decolleté A welcome requi- site of the careful toilette for social functions of the evening will be found in ’ 3 Evans’s Depilatory —a soft powder which removes super- flous hair without injury, and, used occasionally, keeps the skin free. S0c for complete outfit, including mixing dish, spoon and powder. Money back if you want it. At drug- and department-stores, or by mail. George BEvans 1103 Chestnut St Philadelphia Makers of “Mum” Sympathetic "m sorry you don’t admire Mr. Gum- pins,” said the tactful woman. “His ancestors ‘were! very distinguished and estimable people.” “Yes,” replied Miss Cayenne. “ What a misfortune for his family that so many of them died."—Washington Star, In a Pinch, use ALLEN'S FOOT-EASE Needless Extravagance “No, my ‘usband ain't killed, Mrs. Marks. No sooner did I put all the kids in mournin’, even to biby in the pram, when I gets a telegram a-sayin’ 'e’s alive and well. Yes, an’ all this expense for “Wot a crool shame !"—Passing Show. BACARDI Makes Tho Perfect Cocktail, Mickey or Highball. ‘Try Itt “T press expensively. Do you think you could do as well for me in that re- spect as father does?” “Perhaps so,” said the young man, “Still, I shouldn't like to go around looking as shabby as he docs.” —Louisville Courier-Journal. “Oh t for boyhood’s painless play, Sleep that wakes tn laughing day, Health that mocks the doctor's rules, Knowledge never learned in schools.” warren, A Summer Camp for your boys or girls? Thinking about what's best for them next summer? Then turn to the Summer Camp Section of Harper’s Magazine for it is in Harper's Magazine that you find the announcements of more summer camps, as well as private and preparatory schools and colleges, than in any other publication—the widest, the best, and the most dependable selection. Pajamas — the emblem of restful peace E.Rosenfeld & Co. Baltimore and New York. comicbooks.com