Life, 1917-07-19 · page 15 of 40
Life — July 19, 1917 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical story depicts a small-town New England general store proprietor named Bill rejecting a customer named Joe. Joe, visiting from the city, attempts to purchase goods directly from Bill's store, explaining he's been unable to buy anything locally because all businesses are syndicated chains—his grocer is a syndicate, his butcher works for a packing house, his plumber for a trust, and his milk man for a large milk combination. The satire targets **corporate consolidation and chain business dominance** in early 20th-century America. Joe represents the frustrated consumer unable to patronize independent merchants. The cartoon (showing a crowded, industrialized landscape) visualizes how modern corporate structures have replaced small business, making personal, "old-fashioned friendly purchasing" impossible—the "fruitless visit" of the title.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE 95 \ A Fruitless Visit “ ELLO, Bill!” The man who had entered the small general store in a New England } town advanced to the proprictor as he spoke, and extended his hand. é “Why, hello, Joe!" said that gentle- y . man. “Where did you come from? $ Haven't seen you for years. Since you've been away from your native place you've done well, haven't you?” “Fairly well.” = “Where are you living now?” 7 “In town, Bill. I've dropped in—I've a come up here—to buy a few things.” ‘ “What'll you , Joe? We keep almost everything. “T know you used to. Sit down, Bill, and let’s have a smoke. This seems good, We'll begin to dicker soon. I'm Z going to look over your entire stock. Give you a big order: Bill, the proprietor, looked puzzled “I don't quite understand, Joe. What's the meaning of this? You're not coming here to set “No, but you sce, it’s this way. I live in the city, and for some years now, I haven't been able to buy a single thing direct from the man who owns it. I don’t know anybody I from, Bill. My grocer is only a syndi- cate. My butcher is merely the agent for a packing-house. My plumber is working for the Trust, and my milk- man is merely the tool of a la: milk combination. I haven't come into per- sonal touch with a single person I trade with for so long now that I am homesick. I want to look over your nd pick out personally what I want, and criticise them, and talk with you about them, and just have a good g time, J ¢, are you?” goods, old-fashioned friendly pure and [have come way up from town ation.” hook his head, as the sound of a ng down just to get the sens: Bill got up and he held up his hand la the street. arge automobile that was c “Toe!” he exclaimed y but you're too late. Here comes the representat through here Y xum | comicbooks.com