Life, 1919-12-18 · page 49 of 56
Life — December 18, 1919 — page 49: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**The Cartoon "Poetic License: Reconstruction"** (left side) satirizes post-WWI idealism. It depicts a tall figure (likely representing politicians or intellectuals) speaking grandly while a small child listens. The poem contrasts empty rhetoric—ninety-nine percent of people offering "words, bombs, drives, pills...reforms...investigations"—with actual progress requiring humble, concrete labor: "picks and shovels, backbone...coffee and doughnuts, humor, thrift." The satire targets the disconnect between grand post-war talk of remaking the world and the unglamorous practical work actually needed for reconstruction. It's a cynical jab at idealists promising transformation through words alone. **The rest of the page** is primarily a Pepsodent toothpaste advertisement claiming scientific validation for removing tooth film through pepsin-based dentifrice. While advertising dominates, the "Poetic License" cartoon remains the editorial content offering social commentary on post-war American culture and politics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
POETIC LICENSE Reconstruction VERYBODY agreed that the world must be made over It was a plain case. Materials were called for. Whereupon with the greatest alaerity ninety-nine per cent. of the population brought words, bombs, drives, pills, more words, free verse, reforms, restrictions, investigations, soft drinks and—more words. And then, quietly, after waiting a year or so, father and mother and the chil- dren got up early one morning and brought picks and shovels, backbone, con: crete, coffee and doughnuts, humor, thrift, sweet oil, a sixteen-hour day and one or two real ideas. And then the world was made over. Wear Jour heavy coat today, Mary.” en there's » Tycos Window Ther. er hanging outside, You natur. fall into the habit of con. it before Jou go out. Jou know just how n sou ought to dress for ind health, too. This is the Acid That Destroys Your Teeth All Statements Approved by High Dental Authorities Hidden in the Film The acid which destroys your teeth is lactic acid, produced from certain foods by action of bacteria. The film on your teeth—that slimy film—holds the food substance while it ferments and formsacid. Then it holds the acid in contact with the teeth to cause decay. This film clings to teeth, gets between the teeth, enters crevices and stays. The ordinary dentifrice does not dissolve it. The tooth brush fails to remove it all. So it protects the acid. Free acids are neutralized by alkaline saliva. That film is the source of nearly all tooth troubles. That is what dis- colors, not your teeth. It is the basis of tartar. It is a breeder of germs— millions of them. Those germs, with tartar, are the chief causes of pyorrhea. Brushing the teeth does noc suffice, as nearly everybody knows. You must remove the film. After painstaking research, dental science has found a way to do that. The way is now embodied in a dentifrice called Pepsodent. And we offer you a 10-Day Tube to show you what it does. Use It 10 Days—Free Pepsodent is based on pepsin, the digestant of albumin. The film is albuminous matter. The object of Pepsodert is to dissolve it, then to constantly combat it. Ordinary pepsin will not do. It must be activated, and the usual agent is harmful to the teeth. So pepsin Jong seemed impossible. Now science has invented a harmless activating method. Five govern- ments have already granted patents. Now active pepsin can be applied twice daily to the teeth. Authorities have made many clinical tests. Thousands of dentists have tried it. And now leading dentists all over America urge its universal adoption. Pepsadéent REGUS. The New-Day Dentifrice A Scientific Product —Sold by Druggi Everywhere Ten-Day Tube Free THE PEPSODENT COMPANY, Dept. 860, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, Ill. Send the Coupon for a 10-Day Tube Note how clean the teeth feel after using. Mark the absence of the slimy film. See how the teeth whiten as the fixed film disappears. Mail 10-Day Tube of Pepsodent to Name ‘ y pur | Address.