Life, 1916-08-17 · page 29 of 38
Life — August 17, 1916 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a cynical satirical essay titled "How to Get Information," which mocks the difficulty of finding truth in early 20th-century America. The author sardonically lists sources in descending order of usefulness: those with facts but won't share them, those profiting from concealing facts, those telling truth unattractively, statistical compilations too complex to parse, misguided reformers, idealistic skeptics, editorial writers constrained by newspaper politics and owners, and finally one's misinformed neighbor. The punchline: after exhausting all sources, the reader should simply retreat into silence and believe whatever serves their personal interests—then defend it as confidently as if divinely ordained. The accompanying cartoon depicts a man in a small boat, apparently struggling, with dialogue suggesting he's unable to escape his circumstances. The page also contains period advertisements for Carmen Complexion Powder and Williams' Shaving Soaps, typical of Life magazine's revenue model.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Sun- Eu- ig to fell was from from book plied from addressed 1 of uns LIFE: stars—the same as that of thousands of oth women of admired complexions who use the ‘one powder that gives an exquisite smoothness totheskin and aradiant bloom that suggests youth ‘der. Try it just once and you'll be de- ‘not rub or blow instead of lighted with the way it beautifies. off like ordinary Relther doce CARMEN( ict once. Complexion Slaring lightor Powder ) ‘Waite Fisk, Flesh, STAFFORD-MILLER CO.., 521 Olive Street, ‘St. Louls, Mo. How to Get Information N order to secure accurate and reli- able information about any important question of the day, proceed as follow st go to those who know the fac but who do not consider it good policy to say anything. Next go to those who know the facts, Lut who ‘are so intimately connected with the profits from said facts that they consider it good policy to lead you as far away from the truth as possible. ext go to those who know the facts, but who are so unattractive themselves and who tell the truth in so unattractive away that you are unable to believe them. Next go to the statistical compilations which are to be found in the libraries ond which, besides being repellant in their desert-like expanse, are so impos- sible that nobody but an expert account- ant, a lightning calculator and a clair- voyant all rolled into one could glean any important conclusions from them within the limits of human endurance. Next go to some sincere, but mis- guided, reformer who has been told some- thing that is not true about the matter and who proceeds to draw therefrom con- clusions which are duly trimmed with sadness, melancholia and fallaciousness. Next go to some impatient idealist whose policy it is never to believe any- thing that is told him and who, therefore, always asserts the opposite as facts which are personally known to him to be Keer YER vel ME C 1S BACK.” “BUT UB's ON HIS BACK NOW.” TURN N YER OWN BACK AND ERVE, OLD MAN! KEEP YER RITE UNLESS HE'S ON true, resulting in theories which are apt to be more interesting than practicable. Next go to the editorial writer of your favorite newspaper who would like to get the matter straight if the printer didn’t hurry him so and if the policy of the proprietor of the paper permitted. Next go to the editorial writer of the opposition paper who is equally anxious to tell the truth, but whose employer compels him to guess differently from his competitor across the way. Next consult your neighbor who, in the hope of concealing from you how little he knows, will repeat a platitude which he has heard some other man utter, and which he supposes must have been based upon accurate information, Next, being filled with despair, with- draw into the silence, select from all you have heard that particular set or rear- rangement of statements which it is best for your own interests to believe, and thenceforth, without regard for facts, logic or righteousness, assert the cor rectness of these statements as confident ly and as emphatically as if they had been viséed by some omniscient being. Williams Shavir Pick your favorite form—but pick it from the e e 9 e Williams’ Big Four You get a lather that treats your face like a friend. No smart, no pull, no roughness—just a feeling of cleanliness and a health- ful glow. Try this lather tomorrow. If you dodged the shave today all the better. Williams’ Shaving Soap likes nothing better than to go up against a regular beard. Williams" Shaving Soap STICK, POWDER, CREAM, LIQUID and Send 12 cents in stamps for a trial size of the four forms shown above, and then decide which you prefer. THE J. B. WILLIAMS CO., Dept. 4, Glastonbury, Conn. Add the finishing touch to your shave with Williams® luxurious Tale Powder Williams Quick Easy Shaving Powder comes in several convenient forms: in round cakes Or send 4 ‘ents in stamps for any one. comicbooks.com