Life, 1919-09-18 · page 41 of 48
Life — September 18, 1919 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct elements: **Left side ("Behind the Veil"):** A satirical sketch mocking spiritualism and séances. A man visits a fraudulent medium seeking help finding his lost umbrella. The medium claims to contact his deceased niece "Eva" but demands a five-dollar fee. The joke targets the obvious con: the "spiritist" is transparently fake—she catches herself admitting "business is rotten" before pivoting to mystical language. Below, a second comic depicts a child swearing, lampooning domestic hypocrisy. **Right side:** A full-page advertisement for Beeman's Original Pepsin Chewing Gum. The ad claims chewing gum aids digestion and relieves indigestion—framed as a remedy for the stress-induced dyspepsia afflicting successful American businesspeople. It's signed by "Dr. Beeman" and marketed as a convenient digestive aid. The contrast is striking: sharp satire exposing fraud on one side, credulous health claims on the other—arguably equally dubious by modern standards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Behind the Veil A Spirited Drama of Spiritism ner shrine of a spiritist medium) HE MAN: Are r you a spiritual- ~ ist? . Tue Menus: 1 am a spiritist. Tue Man: [want to ask you a ques- (Scene: The i tion. Tue Mepium: ec ny Speak. A Tur Man: things? Tue Meoium: Business is rot— (Catching herself) Sir, do 1 under- sand you wish to find something? Tat Man (cayerly): 1 want to find ny gold-handled umbrella— Tue Menus: It is well. Have you someone in the spirit world? Tue Man: My little niece, Eva Tue Memium: It is quite well. 1 dal] endeavor to bring little Eva to you. Let me remind you that my fee for I must subsist—is five dollars, and that I presume you to be a gen- teman. (She enters into a trance.) Tne MAN (nervously): AMT want to know is where I put my gold-han- ded umbrella— Tue Menu (in a hearse, male “NOW, MOLLY, WILL You PROM P 5 + WILL, OMISE ME EYER, NEVER TO SWEAR AGAIN?” 4 veep OMITH, MOTHER. THAT THOAP YoU } IS MY MOUP TASTES DAM NATHTY,”” How do you find. AGN 8 FO TT RS ME de hae Indigestion is the most universal of human complaints T is rare to find a successful American business man or woman who has not suffered more or less from some slight form of indigestion, caus- ing distress after eating. To many an individual, dyspepsia is the price of success—the direct result of neglecting —often abusing—one’s digestion, eating hurriedly, irregu- larly and under high mental strain. And yet, how greatly the consequences of this neglect could be reduced by the routine, systematic use of my original pepsin chewing gum for ten to twenty minutes after every meal. An adequate flow of saliva would be assured, the digestive proc- esses aided and nerve tension relaxed, with its es- sential improvement in the gastric blood supply. In a word, chewing Beeman’s Original Pepsin Gum will bring prompt relief to many a sufferer— and in a manner pleasant, safe and convenient. AMERICAN CHICLE COMPANY New York Cleveland Chicago Kansas City San Francisco comicbooks.com