Life, 1924-04-17 · page 37 of 40
Life — April 17, 1924 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **Bell System (AT&T) advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The large image depicts a darkened residential building at night, illustrating the advertisement's central claim: that telephone service provides security and reliability during emergencies. The ad's pitch emphasizes American telephone superiority—specifically 24-hour availability—compared to "Continental Europe," where emergency service is less reliable. The text appeals to readers' sense of safety: fires, sick children, and burglaries may strike "in the dead of night," but the telephone offers immediate access to help ("Number, please"). The page also contains a smaller advertisement for **Old English Silver** flatware by Howard & Co. (founded 1865), and mentions a **Silver Fox promotion** with a small fox-head logo. The broadcasting commentary at page top appears unrelated to the telephone ad—it discusses orchestral conductors and musicians, suggesting this is a partial continuation from an earlier article. This reflects 1920s-30s advertising strategy: positioning telephone infrastructure as essential to modern American life and security.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Broadcastings (Continued from page 24) asm with which he can infect his was a fiddler ir air is Apparently he In the Dead of Night In the dead of night a fire breaks out—the alarm must be given. A child is taken sick—the doctor must be called. A thief enters the home—the police must be located, In the dead of night the American turns to his tele- phone, confident he will find it ready for the emergency. ) . . He knows that telephone exchanges are open alw ays, Tusk igenlemen rim: obser the operators at their switchboards, the wires ready to vibrate with his words. He has only to lift the receiver from its hook to hear that calm, prompt “Number, please.” The constant availability of his telephone gives him security, and makes his life more effective in wider horizons. oreh f their « a rather queer le mum wag the local musical is approximately the 3 carned by a petent Twenty-four-hour service, which is the standard set by the Bell System, is the exception in the service of Continental Europe. An emergency may occur at any time. Continuous and reliable service has become a Old English part of the social and economic fibre of American life. Silver AMERICAN TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY AND ASSOCIATED COMPANIES BELL SYSTEM One Policy, One System, Universal Service ET FREE FACTS ABOUT——. s more than cribed SILVER FOX out Industry me doilar for bhee print of ra conduc he country Wuart Washington seems to need is kw Tie atten Siwor Fox Store, New Yort. N.Y What with the boa of trustees, the a few houses on O. K. Street comicbooks.com