Life, 1923-01-04 · page 43 of 44
Life — January 4, 1923 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is an advertisement for Prudential Insurance disguised as historical satire. The piece recounts how Julius Caesar, captured by pirates demanding ransom, refused to pay debts and instead promised to return and crucify them—which he did. He then diverted the ransom fund to his creditors posthumously. The satire's point: Caesar's ad-hoc approach to financial obligation was reckless. Modern businessmen, the text argues, should use life insurance instead—a "convenience" that guarantees creditors payment upon death without the messiness of broken promises or delayed settlements. The accompanying illustration shows Caesar in his tent with Cleopatra, emphasizing his priorities (romance and conquest) over financial responsibility. The advertisement's tagline—"If every wife knew what every widow knows—every husband would be insured"—implies widows understand insurance's necessity; husbands should too. It's a clever marketing pitch that uses historical anecdote to normalize life insurance as prudent financial management.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
No 2—Julius Caesar Julius Caesar Makes Good ULIUS CAESAR had his faults; but he cer- tainly was no coward. Profli- gate that he was, he feared no living man or set of men. On one of his Syrian war jour- neys, it is told, he was cap- tured by Egyptian pirates who coolly informed him he would remain their prisoner until his friends produced a million dollars. “A million dollars!” he exclaimed, “why, I owe personally more than that. Let me go or I'll come back some fine day and crucify the whole bunch.” But the pirates held him, never- theless, until Rome notified them that the million was ready for Caesar’s return. But once back at his marble desk, the General refused to ship the money. “Hold it until I die, and then pay my debts. I'll go back and fix up this other thing.” So he Went once more to Syria, as he had prom- ised, crucified the necessary pirates, and fell in love with Cleopatra. The ransom fund was kept for his creditors after death. Nowadays one does not have to argue with pirates to accumulate a stated sum as a guarantee for creditors. He can get an in- surance company, for a stipend a year, to make this guarantee for him. Many busi- ness men find life insurance a very great convenience in matters of this sort. The Prudential Insurance Company of America EDWARD D. DUFFIELD President IF EVERY WIFE KNEW WHAT EVERY WIDOW KNOWS—EVERY HUSBAND WOULD BE INSURED HOME ICE EWARK comicbooks.com