Life, 1916-12-07 · page 90 of 94
Life — December 7, 1916 — page 90: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Christmas advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes *St. Nicholas* magazine as an ideal gift for children. The handwritten letter shown is a fake testimonial—a child supposedly writing to St. Nicholas asking their parents to subscribe. The letter's emotional appeal ("I want it for Christmas more than anything else") is the advertisement's selling point. The pitch emphasizes that unlike toys that are quickly forgotten, a magazine subscription provides "twelve times a year, the joy of Christmas morning" and claims moral value: the publication will "develop their character along the right lines." This reflects **early 20th-century parenting ideology**—the belief that children's reading should be carefully curated for character development, not mere entertainment. The advertisement targets parents' desires to give meaningful, improving gifts rather than frivolous ones. There is no political satire or caricature here—just commercial messaging disguised as a child's genuine wish.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1078 ‘CHRISTMAS LIFE- SIE Bia BOK VE INE FN BIN BOI AE DAO “4 Y Be Serious A Minute * Did Your Youngster Write Us This Letter? : : : : : & OU could not select a more enjoyable Christmas gift for your child than ST. NICHOLAS. It will be appreciated more than anything else. A toy or a book will soon be laid aside and forgotten, ST. NICHOLAS will renew each month, twelve times 7 New York, N.Y. a year, the joy of Christmas morning. Not only will ST. 7 Please entera year's sub- NICHOLAS be a twelve-fold Pleasure to your child, but it will scription for ST, NICHOLAS be of untold benefit; for after all, that is the big idea behind ST. NICHOLAS, to give the children of six to sixteen the kind of reading matter that will not only be highly entertaining but will develop their character along the right lines. That youngster of yours will “just love” ST. NICHOLAS. And, after you see the good influence of ST. NICHOLAS over your own child in your own home, you cannot help but like it yourself. THE CENTURY CO. *s2y'et"® 77 ita ard we will sl wherein Us RAC ing Machines music—clogs you ever saw. THE BOX! and ‘these li curacy_and Great Christn These t hese Edison) above toys t band (not eachines). A), $00. tuted 1 would ways f fortuns ligence to fill deavor hess w are not tively j The you pr thing