Life, 1922-10-19 · page 35 of 36
Life — October 19, 1922 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a cartoon but rather a **full-page advertisement for Life magazine itself**, promoting the value of reading advertisements. Using Galileo's telescope as a metaphor, the piece argues that readers must use Life "properly"—meaning they should read the advertisements alongside editorial content, not just skip past them. The analogy warns that ignoring ads means looking through the "wrong end" of the telescope: you'll miss valuable information about products, services, and purchasing opportunities. The central claim is that advertising serves readers' interests by bringing "close to your hand the things you want" and providing practical consumer information. By omitting ads, readers "narrow your vision" on matters "that concern you most vitally." **For modern readers:** This reveals early 20th-century magazine economics where advertisements were presented not as intrusions but as legitimate, reader-beneficial content. The piece explicitly asks readers to treat ads as informational rather than promotional—a stark contrast to contemporary advertising skepticism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Get a “Close-Up” & C ALILEO made the telescope and brought to light unknown stars and planets, the craters of the moon, the rings of Saturn and other things. Properly used, the telescope is a wonderfully effective instrument. But look through the wrong end and your vision becomes distorted; things get out of focus; objects well within your reach look miles away. An important province of this publication is to act your telescope. Use it properly and your vision is enlarged. That means reading the advertise- ments as well as the other contents. Fail to read the advertising and you overlook a great deal that you ought to see and know—the best in values—oppor- tunities for economy, increased comfort, conven- ience and happiness. Advertising brings close to your hand the things you want. You glean much valuable information about manufacturers, their goods, their services— all important points to you as a possible purchaser. You may read every story and every article—but if you overlook the advertising you remain unin- formed about the very things that concern you most vitally. Unquestionably, you narrow your vision. Get a “close-up.” Read the advertisements Gee. Bee. Are. LIFE’S Advertising Manager, Madison Avenue, No. 598, New York B. F. Provandie, Western Manager, Marquette Bldg., 1537, Chicago Gordon Simpson, West Coast Representative, Wright-Callender Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif. comicbooks.com