Life, 1924-03-13 · page 40 of 40
Life — March 13, 1924 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an insurance advertisement using American history as its hook. The page features George Wythe, a Virginia lawyer and judge (shown in the portrait), who taught multiple future U.S. Presidents—including James Monroe and John Marshall—at William and Mary College. The illustration depicts Wythe drilling with other young Virginians in 1775 before being drafted to sign the Declaration of Independence. The satirical point: Prudential Insurance positions itself as a link between generations, much like Wythe connected past and future through education and example. The ad's tagline—"If every wife knew what every widow knows, every husband would be insured"—uses dark humor, implying widows understand financial hardship better than living husbands. The message: insurance provides security across generations, echoing Wythe's role as a transmitter of values and knowledge to America's future leaders.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HE simplest and yet, by far, the most complete estate you can leave your family is Monthly Income LifeInsurance. The Prudential issues this in various flexible and convenient forms to run as many years as you wish, or for the lifetime of your beneficiary. Prudential Monthly Income meets the Needs as the Needs arise. It is the Insurance that Insures the Insurance! LET us send you particulars about your own financial Inde- pendence, along with a free copy of our little book about the patriots who signed the Declaration of Independence. He Taught Presidents LONG in June 1775, some tw licle war on Great Britain by raiding the royalist arsenal in the house of Lord Dunmore. y youthful Virginians opened up their own Benjamin Harrison was one of them. James Monroe another. Still another was George Wythe, a brilliant young lawyer. They formed a military company and started drilling) But Wythe, whose work in the Virginia Burgesses had marked him for a far greater career, was soon drafted out of the ranks,and sent to Philadelphia to sign the Declaration. Independence won, Wythe grew into a great judge and noted teacher. In his law classes at William and Mary studied many of the leaders of the next generation, including two, who became Presidents. Also John Marshall, the famous Chict Justice And, for four years, the amanuensis in Wythe's court was the redoubtable Henry Clay. Thus, one boy, who, by the wav, got his own lessons from an able mother after faltering along in the country schools, became a vital link in the greatest traditions of American public life No man is more than a link between the past and the future. Everything he enjoys today comes from the sacrifices of countless generations before him. nables any man honestly to pass along his share of the benefits to those who follow him. Insuran he inher THE PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA EDWARD D. DUFFIELD President HOME OFFICE: NEWARK New Jersey IF EVERY WIFE KNEW WHAT EVERY WIDOW KNOWS -— EVERY HUSBAND WOULD BE INSURED comicbooks.com