Life, 1924-03-27 · page 35 of 36
Life — March 27, 1924 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page juxtaposes two satirical pieces. "Le Miserable" is a short story mocking wealth inequality: a starving vagrant gazes desperately at a delicatessen window laden with luxuries he cannot afford, then enters a grand mansion where he receives his doctor's prescribed diet—walking twenty miles daily to lose weight. The irony: the wealthy man suffers from *excess*, forced to exercise off his abundance, while the poor man starves before displays of food. The facing **General Motors advertisement** attempts to counter-satirize this class critique by promoting stock ownership as democratic wealth-sharing. It emphasizes that 68,000 ordinary Americans own GM stock, including 18,000 women ("mothers, sisters, wives"), with most owning modest amounts (100 shares or less). The ad implies capitalism benefits everyone, not just elites—a direct rebuttal to the story's indictment of economic disparity.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Le Miserable Wearity he trudged the city streets, nly before him, an expres- nspeakable dejection upon his and wrinkled eeks, and his lustreless ey_s spoke futility, for it had been many irs that he had tramped the pave- and fatigue had woven its in- jous web about him wlessly he dragged one foot after the other. At the end of the block he halted, and gazed in the direction of the shop that occupied the corner—a 1 shop. Slowly he ap it, What a longing leapt into What an agonized craving! What a look of desire! His mouth to water, his fingers. twitched knees fairly trembled. ceivable type and descrip stuffed with truffles and with tasty sauces; sliced ted denizens of the cheeses, artiully bedecked ; preserved and pickled it; deviled and potted me K ruvres of count less varieties. A veritable feast! And t it seemed that the poor ello 1 smash the plate g nd seize what he could lay his hands on But he merely shook his head. staggered off upon his dreary found himself ina section of the city devoted largtly to the most elaborate type of private residence, and direetly in front of such an abode he came to a stop. Then he fumbled in his waistcoat pocket, produced. 3 which he applied to the great’ gr lor, and quietly entered. With sp of liveried men apy of whom dive him of hat while another escorted him to a charmingly decorated clevator in. the rear of the building. On the third floor entered a small, heavily carpeted room, paneled in stained oak, and sank Yes, Leeds,” he told the manservant. “the same diet, as usual, The doctor's dered one more week of it. And he's making me walk twenty miles a day Says he can get me down to under twe hundred by the end of the month.” And Lecds bowed gravely and disap: peared through a pair of heavy velvet particres New Dreams for Old Wirt changing rhythms softly slow The clouds of dusk float by, And, as 1 watch them fainter grow, The old dreams dic For Night, behind the clouds, doth wait With high hopes in a star, And | must go Where new dreams. are FACTS ABOUT A FAMOUS FAMILY 7 ee | Mothers, sisters, wives A corporation is often regarded as im- personal—great plants, great resources, which are owned by only a few More than 68,000 investors own General Motors and divide its earnings. They live in every state in the Union, in Canada and in 16 foreign lands. Of these General Motors stockholders, 58,000 own 100 shares or less More than 18,000 stockholders are women —mothers, sisters, wives GENERAL MOTORS Buick . Capitac - Cuevroter + OLpsMosite Oaktann - GMC Trucks comicbooks.com