Life, 1920-05-20 · page 42 of 48
Life — May 20, 1920 — page 42: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines advertising with a humorous advice column. The large illustration shows a caricatured man's laughing face alongside a shaving stick—advertising Williams' "Holder Top Shaving Stick." The accompanying text humorously praises "Williams" (likely the product's mascot or brand personality) as generous, hardworking, and popular despite being over 75 years old. The page also features "The Coin Collection," a poem about historically significant coins, and "Humor or Pathos?"—a genuine letter from a confused immigrant seeking help with naturalization paperwork, written in broken English. The juxtaposition is deliberate: the polished advertising and literary poem frame this earnest but comically illiterate letter, creating satire about American bureaucracy and the immigrant experience. The corns/calluses advertisements complete the commercial nature of the page.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Coin Collection ERE glitter Darius’s daric schid's dinar Coins stamped with a dolphin, a earric \ rose of a crown or a star: Bright picces that honor some \ lion, a bee or a hor \ saint or a tyrant like The beautiful mixed wi Here twinkle the mohu young Alexander ¢ And a barbarous copy struck In Britain’s then barbarov The “ byzant,” the “ rider, The “angel,” the “noble ‘crown Coins Tsaac of York used + jeopard When the choice was ts lend or drown, Coins there here of t Of Croesus, the tyra Coins—they are lees Of Midas whose touch Are you scraping , For cach is 4 cynical then : > |. That man and his money + along without Williams ? That, losing it, he will he hroken; | That, hoarding it, hard grows his he I suppose you can scrape along without Richard Butler Gh knowing my friend Williams’ and his sale oriairiam Re-Loads rich, creamy lather. But why should es is you? He is generous—he just bubbles ideioetetne von Williams Lift off Corns over with it. Throw cold water on him imply ‘ocrew tn a i Shaving Stick as much as you like, you can’t keep ° io him down. Heis white clean through— oven ; Ww with Finger p, with reduced size and uses himself up working for others. ». When the sample He believes in the rights of shavers peg dapper Doesn’t hurt a bit and ‘‘Freezone —he never goes dry. He makes you rst of wld costs only a few cents smilefrome rto earand never leav ny Te BLAM 00. smarting feelings behind. His favorite pan isasrad complexions? He hasn't any. And al- cone ete meen though over 75 years old he ts as popu- : a lar with young menas with their seniors. Williams soi st THE 18 WALIAMS COMPANY MAKERS ALSO OF MATINEE VIOLETS JERSEY CREAM AND OTHER TOILET SOAPS, TALC POWDER, DINTAL CRLAM ETC, Humor or Pathos? we shall came to the office. Tam a laborer : and | working from 7 oclock in the morning You can lift off any hard corn, soft to 12 and from t to 5 ivenning.. Twas ee Secs Wetwee the tome) 1d OO - < : couple time Saturday afternoon at the office skin calluses from bottom of feet. ean Sie wish as why so lonz Init 1 cannot see nobody. 1 do not know 6 Apply a few drops of “Freezone” # tion's paper cuse me of my writing. the corn or callus. Instantly it # T was two times with the witnesses in the I sende here with a other aplication’ the hurting, then shortly you lift that bq County Clerk office, but one time the Mr IT have got from Washington, D. C. and the some corn or callus right off, root avd Clerk was go to hunting and a on other time post cart and a letter to you with, please, without one bit of pain or soreness. a certificate was not come for me. I can not and a fee of $4. I please, Mr. Clerk, do No humbug! re bringen the witnesses to the office what you can best es from meself. T please thee, Mr. Clerk, send Resp. yours, Tiny bottle of “*Freezone" com him the posten carts to know of what day P. S. Excuse me. few cents at any drug stor (A letter received recently by a Nata tion Commissioner in New York State) time | not have answer about my Naturaliza- when I can get throw with my think, Ex comicbooks.com