Life, 1919-08-07 · page 35 of 44
Life — August 7, 1919 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page mixes editorial content with advertisements. The left side features "An Old Gentleman," a poem by Charlotte Becker depicting an aging Victorian-era man struggling with modernity. He wears outdated clothing, watches the world's new "creeds, speech, needs" with confusion, and retreats into comfort with classic literature (Dickens, Byron, the Brontës). The satire gently mocks elderly resistance to social change and rapid modernization—a common early-20th-century theme. The right side is primarily a **Tiffany & Co. advertisement** (luxury jewelry/silverware), with a cartoon below labeled "Why Not?" showing a courtroom scene. The cartoon's exact satirical point is unclear from the visible text, but appears to reference legal or social judgment. The page also advertises *The Automobile Blue Book*, a travel guide reflecting the era's fascination with automobiles as transformative technology—ironically juxtaposed against the poem about someone clinging to the past.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LED 9001, 22 | / _ An Old Gentleman E wears a coat of just the usual kind, And holds to-day’s last paper on his knee, Yet, even at acglance keen eyes might see shadow-of an era left behind, 1 quiet dignity Nor broidered waistcoat, ner high F stock could he dearer sign of his Victorian mind. = He watches mistily the world rush by. jew creeds, new speech, new needs > his senses daze, Till, settling back into his well-worn ways : Of thought, that bring no new bewildered © “why?” Bile sceks his comfort, where no doubts > may fare, Chuzzlewit, Childe Harold, and Jane © Eyre. > Charlotte Becker. Before You Start LAN your tour beforehand. Decide where to go; how to get there; what to see; where to stop. You can do all that and you won't have to ask questions en route, if you use THE AUTOMOBILE & BLUE BOOK &% The Standard Road Guide of America Drop in at the next bookstore, supply store, rage or news-stand and examine a copy. ice $3.00, or sent postpaid on receipt of $3.15. The Automobile Blue Book Publishing Company New York Chicago ‘San Francisco TIFFANY & CO. JEWELRY SILVERWARE WATCHES CLOCKS STATIONERY PRODUCTS OF DISTINCTION PURCHASES MAY BE MADE BY MAIL FIFTH AVENUE & 37 = STREET NEWYORK WHY Not? comicbooks.com