Life, 1917-04-05 · page 54 of 70
Life — April 5, 1917 — page 54: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page (page 598) contains three brief humorous anecdotes and one advertisement. **The Cartoons/Stories:** The page features three short joke pieces typical of early 20th-century satirical magazines: 1. **"A Matter of Speculation"** mocks a Scottish butler's confusion about taking a patient's temperature—he reports the laird is dead, having misunderstood medical instructions. 2. **"Professor Diggs"** jokes that an archaeologist's wife would respect his abilities more if he could find his own hat. 3. An untitled piece satirizes Americans' geographical ignorance by depicting an Englishman amazed at discovering "Hameru" after traveling west from Boston for five days—implying Americans are oblivious to vast distances. **The Advertisement:** Below occupies the lower half: a Northern Pacific Railway ad promoting Yellowstone National Park vacations via automobile tours, featuring a geyser image and the company logo. The humor relies on period assumptions about Scottish dialect, bumbling intellectuals, and American provincial attitudes toward geography and scale.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Matter of Speculation A Scottish doctor who was attending a laird had instructed the butler of the vse in the aft of taking and recording ter’s temperature with a ther- er. On paying his usual morn call he was met by the butler, to Well, John, I hope the ure is not any higher to whom he said laird’s temper: day?” The man looked puzzled for a minute, and then replied: “Weel, 1 was just wonderin’ that mysel’, Ye see, he deed at twal’ o'clock." —Argonant “ Proressox Dices, the famous archae- ologist, is said to have discovered half a dozen buried cities.” gs ought to be proud of , yes. But she would probably have more respect for his ability as an explorer if she didn’t have to find his hat for him nearly every time he leaves the —Birmingham Age-Heraid, ns in Lave are €¢ a. , Breams Br For Ref igs, Fetter Lane, London, E. “THAT KEMINDS ME, I HAVE AN ENGAGE MENT TO PLAY GOLF THIS AFTERNOON,” Rights in Great Britain See Yellowstone National Park through Gardiner Gateway and Northern Pacific Railway sede Comfortable Autos An Enjoyable Vacation and An Educational Trip Tour this wonderful vacation land (June 20th to Sept. 15th) in large comfortable automobiles. The new five day auto tour enables you to see more of the geys yons, lakes, falls, paint pots, mountains, B janimals, can- ¢.g although one should stay longer if possible. Personallygescotted tours each week. Daily trains and world fama in; Send for tree travel literature A. M. CLELAND, 42 Northera Pacific ‘ar service, mation t Paul, Mis ., England. to be afected, Big Enough to Be Scen The average foreigner can rarely con prehend the geographical area ¢ United States, as was quite fully trated by the Englishman and his val who had been traveling due west froz Boston for five days. At the end o fifth day master and servant w in the smoking-car, and it was ol that the man was gazing steadily thoughtfully out of the window his companion be liam,” said he, “of what a ing “Twas just th discovery of Hameri “Columbus didn't do such a thing, after all, when he found try, did he, now, sir? Tur ancient troduced a skeleton at a feast “What about it “TL suppose it is on the same ptians son that some motorists affix the » effigy of a traffic cop to the frov a machine.” f address should reach this office ten youn, booksscom!