Life, 1917-10-25 · page 42 of 44
Life — October 25, 1917 — page 42: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising and promotional content**, not satire or political commentary. The main feature is a **Jack London book promotion** by McClure's Magazine, offering free copies of London's works (particularly *The Sea-Wolf*) to magazine subscribers. The accompanying illustration shows the novel's plot—the "Sea-Wolf" character manipulating couples—with the caption explaining his villainous nature. The smaller illustrated section at bottom-right addresses **animal testing ethics**: it critiques the Red Cross for allegedly appropriating funds for medical experiments on animals in France during WWI. The piece questions whether Red Cross subscribers would approve of vivisection and argues this raises serious moral concerns about animal cruelty versus wartime medical necessity. The page reflects early 20th-century anxieties about both **popular literature's moral influence** and **animal welfare in scientific research**—two distinct editorial concerns presented together.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
" Mail this coupon with 10c for Jack London’s Masterpieces ( <<< While love drew them together, the evil-plotting Sea-Wolf searched them out! Jack London FREE! “For we're booming down on the old trail, our own trail, the oat trail, We're sagging south on the Long Trail—the trail that is always new.” THE GREATEST WORKS OF singing. Ahead of himon the trail are men to be kicked and pounded and broken; women to insult and toy with; a hell ship to command; a world to prey upon. He has lured certain couples of Kura Island to his ship, he has manipulated so that the hus- bands had been left astern while he sails away with their wives; scores of such deeds lie ahead of him so, like the devil he is, he sings. Read about him in Jack London’s master- pieces. By a great stroke of good fortune McClure’s has managed to secure the very cream of Jack London’s works. They cost you xothing, if you accept the offer made below. OUR OFFER We will send you tree and postpaid, you sign and mall us coupon, the greatest works of Jack London in 4 volumes, bound in handsome cloth and gold stamped. Payment on your subscription. You receive at once ‘and The Ladies’ World. You then send Ml. The three magazines come to you Wésiew LARSEN, ‘‘The Sea-Wolf,”’ is Canadian and foreign postage extra. Subscriptions may be new or renewal. HERE ARE THE BOOKS— THE SEA-WOLF"* Mail Above Coupon for Your Free Books—DO IT NOW! These Books Come Free -” Soldiers and Sailors dee #2325" steSrettha cc re mand Jack Lonpon Eemctiixsicni Emmett McCarthy, a petty officer of the New York Naval Marines writes:—“ ‘The Sea-Wolf” pute Jack London in the lass of Stevenson, Kipling and Robertson as @ writer of sea stories. His ‘The Call of the Wild’ is the best dog story I ve ever You who want to “keep up" with what your soldier or sailor boy is reading—get Jack London. You who want to send good, clean, virile literature to some boy in the Army or Navy, here is your chance. The booke and magazines can be sent to separate addresses if you like. Just send instructions with coupon. esoariiy writes, and rival ‘ees ae nial y Pimidasnad mecrure suons MCCLURE’S MAGAZINE + NEW YORK CITY ‘PurER T, CARLY, Pi Red Cross and Vivisection Has the American Red Cross really appropriated one hundred thousand dol- lars for medical research work in France, and is that research work to take the form of experiments on ani- mals? That is a question which, for the prosperity of the Red Cross, had better be cleared up immediately. Evidence of a nature which appears to be incontro- vertible has reached this paper that this is so, and if it is so numbers of sub- scribers to the funds of the Red Cross will have received a very considerable shock. The information, as it has come to us, is to the effect that one hundred thousand dollars has been appropriated for medical research work, to be con- ducted by the American medical units behind the lines in France. In order to carry on this work certain specific equip- ment is necessary, and a statement to this effect was recently prepared in order to be issued to the press. The statement, as it was originally prepared, contained, we are informed, this sentence: “To carry on their work they (the doctors and surgeons) need certain special laboratory equipment, suitable buildings, and animals for experimental purposes.” Before, however, the notice was finally placed in the hands of the press the words “laboratory . . . suitable build- ings, and animals for experimental pur- poses” e¢ deleted. What, therefore, those who have subscribed to the Red Cross funds, in any way, are entitled to know is, Were these words omitted be- cause it had been determined to dispense entirely with these experiments, or be- cause it was thought inadvisable to make public the underlying intention of the scheme? . . « Whether vivisection has ever produced any material results; whether, even if it had produced the most valuable results, it would still be justifiable; whether it is to be regarded as an alleviation of hu- man suffering, or as a merely uscless and brutal addition to the suffering of creation—these are all questions which have agitated the world as few questions have, with the result that the virtues of vivisection remain as polemical and as problematical as the day the idea was first adumbrated. Consequently, for an organization intended specifically for the alleviation of human suffering in war, and subscribed to by hundreds of thou- sands of people for that purpose, to em- bark on the infliction upon animals of what innumerable numbers of its sub- scribers regard as the most profound, selfish and diabolital cruelty, would be, to put it mildly, a doubtful proceeding. —The Christian Science Monitor. Panacea HEN in the course of human events it becomes necessary for anyone to find relief from the ills of this unhappy world, the casiest way is to send five dollars for a year’s sub- scription to Lire. comicbooks Garay It Sev