Life, 1919-06-19 · page 8 of 42
Life — June 19, 1919 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces: **"Did You Feel the Heat?"** discusses a charitable Fresh Air Fund providing poor New York City children summer relief in the countryside—a real early 20th-century philanthropy effort. **"The Prophet—A Fable"** is a satirical story mocking a charlatan "weather prophet" who wears astrological robes and claims to predict rain. When challenged by a farmer ("Can you divine weather better than a Prophet?"), the Shah confidently declares rain won't come, only to be immediately proven wrong by heavy rainfall. The satire ridicules false expertise and fraudulent fortune-tellers who dressed in mystical garb to con the credulous. The photographs show Life's Fresh Air Farm initiative and children enjoying outdoor swimming. The satirical fable critiques superstition-based authority figures.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1072 Did You Feel the Heat? T came early, and was pretty oppres- sive, even to those shielded from it by comfortable surroundings. Of course it brought tremendous discom- fort to those unfortunate enough to live in New York's crowded tenement districts. And their children! Lire doesn’t want to harrow the feelings of its readers, so it will let them draw on their own knowledge and own imagina- tions to picture what the children suf- fered through those hot and humid nights. Incidentally, two hundred, dollars of four-and-a-quarter-per-cent. bonds stil! remain the amount which every sum- mer will give one of these children a fortnight of cool nights and happy days in the fresh air of the country. The plan is outlined -below, We have received from Anna G. Hubbard of Detroit, Michigan, hundred dollars in Third Liberty bonds two to establish FRESH AIR PNDOWMENT No. 45 In Memory of Axwa Bexyi Henao, To establish a Fresh Air Endowment two hundred dollars in Victory notes or per-cent. bonds should 1 Liberty Loan 4! be sent by r Fresh Air Fund, In first Street, New Y The i that every sur stered to Lire's West Thirty City come from this amount provides mer, in perpetuity, a poor nt from the slums of New in the fresh This work has now child be s York for a fortnight tay air of the countr, been carried on for thirty-one which than forty children have gained health and ness from it A Fresh tion its donor chooses. ears, in thor happi- time more Air Endowment may bear any design: The Prophet-—A Fable Te Shah Abbas had a court weather prophet, attired in a robe embroidered with moons, planets, signs of the zodiac and other adver- tising devices of his profession, The Shah was about to start on a journey. The Prophet proclaimed fair weath- er. After traveling a distance a farmer stopped the Shah, “It will rain, Great Lord!” said he; “turn back * Nonsenst said the Shah, “Tt will not rain, on the word of a Prophet!” Later, it began to rain plentifully. The Shah turned back. “How can you divine the weather so much better Persian ESTION FOR FUTURE LOCATION OF ?” he asked the farmer. “Do you sce my old Ass out there in the field? . Well, IT know the weather by the way he holds his ears.” The Shah took the Ass and put the Prophet's robe upon him — than a Proph “T see,” he THE WHITE MOUSE told the former incumbent, “that you diet is not right for a forecaster. out and eat hay.” Moral. In stormy sometimes arrive at eminence. Henry Wallace Phillips Asse seasons, AT LIFES FRESH AIR FARM AFTER THE FIRST SWIM OF THE SEASON