Life, 1920-02-05 · page 40 of 52
Life — February 5, 1920 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines advertisements with satirical commentary on newspaper priorities during a paper-conservation effort (likely WWI-era rationing). **Main Cartoon/Commentary:** The illustrated dialogue ("How to Save Paper") features a family debating what newspapers should cut to conserve resources. Each family member prioritizes differently—father suggests eliminating fashion and entertainment sections, mother wants to remove comics, brother wants sports preserved. The circulation manager's final response reveals the satirical point: newspapers won't actually cut meaningful content because advertising and popular features (women's sections, sports, news) drive circulation and revenue. The satire mocks newspapers' claimed commitment to paper-saving while protecting profitable content. **Advertisements:** The page also features Sanatogen (a "food tonic"), American Express Far East tours, and Cocoana beverage—period marketing using testimonials and health claims typical of early 20th-century advertising. The cartoon's humor relies on readers recognizing newspaper economics and the gap between stated conservation goals and actual business priorities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“All you need is a little toning-up” “DUT,” you may say, “tonics merely stimu- late for the time being.” True—for most tonics. But there is one tonic that does more —a tonic that rebuilds—a tonic that adds to the very substance of blood and tissue, thus promoting health and vigor in a nat- ural, lasting fashion. That is Sanatogen, the food-tonic. Not a mere claim—but the sum total of the recorded experience of the medical profession and the testi- mony of thousands of men and women in all walks of life, including leaders like Lady Henry Somerset, who writes: “Sanatogen undoubledly restores sleep, invigorates the nerves and braces the patient to health.” And also Olive Schreiner, the gifted writer, who says: “ Nothing that I have taken for years has given me such @ sense of vigor as Sanatogen.” When all you need is a toning-up, you need Sanatogen. Write for interesting booklet to THE BAUER CHEMICAL CO., Inc. 115 W. 18th Street, New York City. Grand Prize, International Con- gress of Medicine, London, 1913. Sanatogen to THE FAR EAST Sailing from a. pee Visiting Japan, Korea, China, The Philippines ACherry Blossom Tou ly, Sling Pee Sacie Mack Te” ‘tite for details, AMERICAN EXPRESS TRAVEL DEPARTMENT How to Save Paper FATHER: If the newspapers really want to save paper, I don’t see why they don’t throw out this fashion and magazine page and this moving picture rot. They seem to be slighting the markets in order to reduce their size. Morner: I do wish the newspapers would seize this opportunity to elimi- nate the degrading comics. The chil- dren simply pore over them. But I suppose they will discontinue the wom- en’s page before they do that. Brotner Bos: I don't see why they don’t transfer some of the ads over on the editorial page and give us some sport news, ™Mfiema Cate PSYCHO! What is it? Do you want to be part it will write low! MENTAL questions, tell me Sister Sue: Isn’t that the limit? “The Confessions of a Second Wife” is missing again to-night. They might leave out some of these stupid articles about the crops and the stock market once in a while, if they must save paper. CircuLaTion MANAceR (to the edi- tor): I don't care where you save pa per, so long as you don’t cut into the women’s features, the sport page, the news, editorial or markets. OW that the Atlantic liners are go- ing to have bars, how about issu ing fifty-trip tickets? —minus the alcohol NSO Leading Hotel, Restazrants and Dealers C.H. EVANS & SONS . Estab.1786 Hi comicbooks.com