Life, 1916-08-17 · page 4 of 38
Life — August 17, 1916 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **subscription advertisement** for *Life* magazine, not political satire. The illustration depicts a figure in classical/Roman military dress driving a chariot pulled by horses, representing the approach of the new millennium (the year 1900). The text addresses readers directly, urging them to subscribe before September 7th to receive a special "Millennium Number"—apparently a major issue *Life* planned to publish marking the arrival of the new century. The appeal combines humor with urgency: the copy playfully warns that editor Josephus (likely Joseph Keppler Jr.) might resign if the magazine doesn't achieve sufficient subscriptions, and jokes that readers who subscribe will have "no idle, half-hearted plea" to regret. This represents turn-of-century publishing marketing strategy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Millennium Number Is Coming For some time we have hesitated to announce the advent of this great number, but inasmuch as the great day cannot be put off longer than September Seventh we are now compelled to let you know that it is coming on that day. Besides, who knows but that Josephus, when he realizes that Lire is going to get out a Millennium Number, may feel, in order to give this number a savor of reality, that he should resign? All things are possible. Josephus may obey that impulse yet. In the meantime, subscribe. ‘This is no idle, half-hearted plea. When we ask you to do a thing we do it from the deepest convic- tion that it is to your best interest to do so. We say, subscribe for Lire. Subscribe for three months or a year as your spirit or your bank account moves you. Subscribe. We insist upon it. Get Lire regularly in your } own home. You may regret it, but do something that you may J Special regret for once in your life. It will give you a new sensation. fo. oust SV Subscribe. Be one of a million others (more or less). find One Dok Son o} Obey that sinister impulse ! gts ee Berd d $1.26). “Send Lire for three months to into th It take the gre the al remem Several sample copies will be Open only to new subscribers; no sub scriptions renewed at this rate. sent to any address on receipt of ten cents. LIFE, 17 West 31st Street, New York. a One Year, $5.00. (Canadian, $5.52; Foreign, $6.04.) comicbooks.com