Life, 1917-05-10 · page 34 of 46
Life — May 10, 1917 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page mixes satirical humor with period advertising (circa 1910s-1920s). The main content is **"Our Foolish Contemporaries,"** a humor column featuring three anecdotes: 1. **"Patriotism"**: A man mistakes "Little Brown Jug" (a folk song) for the national anthem and stands during an orchestra performance. The satire mocks both blind patriotism and easily-confused "lowbrow" audiences. 2. **The Severn Tunnel joke**: A passenger fears train safety; a ticket collector quips they'll "see you through"—dark humor about the company's dubious reliability. 3. **Boarding house "variety"**: A landlord claims menu diversity but only changes the *names* of meals, not the actual food—satirizing cheap boarding houses and false advertising. The page also contains period advertisements (Waterman's Fountain Pens, Egyptian Deities cigarettes, Allen's Foot-Ease) and notices for small theatrical productions. The satirical content reflects early 20th-century concerns: naive patriotism, consumer deception, and working-class experiences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
870 OUR” FOOLISH CONTEMPORARIES OG Patriotism The other night I went to the theatre With a lowbrow friend. And the orchestra played “Little Brown Jug, And he thought It was the national anthem And he stood up. And I did, too, Darn him.—Arkansas Ay old lady was greatly frightened when the train thundered into the Severn Tunnel. “Do you think,” she asked the ticket- collector, “ this tunnel is perfectly safe?” “Don’t be afraid, madam,” replied the waggish collector, “ our company got you in this hole, and we're bound to see you through,” —Tit-Bits. ‘A teaspoonful of Abbott's Bitters with your Gra makes an ideal appetizing tonic. ple of bitters Bets, in stamps. C. W, Abbott & Co., Baltimore, Md. Fruit yy mail, In the Land of the Sky. ASHEVILLE, N. C. Glorious now in full blossom time. Unusual facilities for all outdoor sports. | Real Southern, hospitality, homelike fect Gol perfect climate (18-beles Regular, Self- Filling, Pocket and Safety a man in the Army or Navy who doesn’t need a Waterman's Ideal. Afield or afloat, this pen can be con- rae carried always ready for instant use anywhere—at a smaller sizes have sufficient ink capacity to write thousands of words. It is the safe pen to carry—the dependable and Sold at the Best Stores the World Over L. E. Waterman Company, 191 Broadway, New York accurate pen with which to write. 24 School Street 17 So, Clark Street BOSTON CHICAGO EGYPTIAN DEITIES | Pyke or PREFER Deities any other igure 25° Fhssrgyes A Varied Diet ] “Do you have much variety at your | boarding-house?” inquired one boarder friend who lived down the block. | | Well, we have three different names for the meals,” replied the other. | —Harper's Magazine. In a Pinch, use ALLEN'S FOOT-EASE. OW is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their coun- try and for every prudent, far-sighted reader to make of getting his kly copy from. his newsdealer by ordering Lire in advance. sure $4.00, 83.00 to $150.00 Sold Everywhere desk or a hundred miles from an inkwell. Even the 17 Stockton Street 179 St. James Street SAN FRANCISCO MONTREAL Two Little Plays for Out-of-Door Perfomesa Price 25 Cents Each, Postpaid The Children of the Bard By James S. Metcalfe Suitable for a large or small cast of Shake peareae characters. The Perennial Border By Elizabeth Tyree Metcalfe and James S. Metcalie ‘Twitty case peaking dianicaennigetiantaglowiie. These plays are simple in production and are stale for country clubs, college organizations, garden clubs schools and church societies. THE PROBONO PUBLISHING CO. V7 West 31et Street Ye “ UND GOTT PUNISH DER UNITED STATES USP MAKE ME A GOOD LITTLE WILLIE. AMEN!” ae