Life, 1925-04-23 · page 10 of 37
Life — April 23, 1925 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains two distinct pieces: **"Breathe Deeply"** (left): A humorous complaint about commuting. The speaker rides to town daily, dealing with crowded trains, smoky cars, and office air pollution. He jokes that a neighbor calls fresh air a "ventilation company," satirizing urban industrial life's poor air quality—a relatable complaint for early 20th-century city commuters. **"He Saw His Father's Ghost"** (right): An advertisement for a special edition of Shakespeare's *Hamlet*, marketed to modern readers. The copy humorously frames the play as contemporary—comparing it to modern "sex-movies" and "Go-Getters," and emphasizing its relevance to educated people's culture. It's pitched as essential reading for anyone claiming cultural sophistication. Both pieces use humor to comment on contemporary life and reading habits.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“HOW CAN I ADVERTISE MY CORSETS?” “HAVE YOU TRIED SENDING OUT A FORM LETTER Breathe Deeply I RIDE to town every day behind a man who would have the car window open if he had to use the emergency axe, and I work next to a man who likes the breezes from God's great out- doors blowing papers all over the office. I have a neighbor whose wife says he is “just a great big boy” and who baits me into going for long tramps on Sun- days, and I have a wife who says, “Don’t you think it’s a little close in here?” I write ads. for a ventilator company No wonder I hate fresh air. McC. H. “EXCUSE me for living.” M right. But don't let it happen agai “Now, FR INSTANCE, SEE THAT SNAIL?” “YEATL “SEE HIM MOVE?" “HARDLY.” “WELL, CONGRESS "D THINK HE WAS A JACK-RABBIT.”” He Saw His Father’s Ghost (Respectfully suggested to the pub- lishers and advertising managers of O. Henry, Mark Twain, and other well-known subscription books.) UPPOSE a college friend of yours were to tell you that he had seen the ghost of your father appear on the back porch at midnight— And then when you went out of curi- osity, to see for yourself, you saw it too—and it spoke to you, and told you that your mother had doped its pre-war stuff in order to marry your uncle— What would you do? Would you go mad, too, like Hamlet? Read Shakespeare’s own solution, in that gripping, weird tale of mystery and destiny, “Hamlet, Prince of Den- mark.” Fascinating—romantic—haunt- ing! As up-to-date as any modern sex- movie, and essential to every educated person's culture. Meet in its brilliant pages a galaxy of wonderful char- acters—Polonius, with his screamingly funny advice on etiquette, Laertes, pro- totype of the Go-Getter, beautiful Oph faithful Horatio, the King, the Queen, and a thousand others! Above all, live with Hamlet! Live his problems of what to do under the circumstances. Tronic, tragic, mystic, one moment a two-gun man, the next a groper in motivation and primitive psychology. Not to know Hamlet is to miss THE BEST IN LIFE. So badly do we want you to know more about Hamlet that we will send this handsome book, printed in large type on hand-made Garamond paper, convenient size to hold, bound in Italian ooze leather with Persian silk book- marks, and illustrated with half-tones from pictures by the world’s greatest artists, for free inspection. Send no money. Just coupon : mail this GENTLEMEN: You may send me for five days’ free examination, without obligation on my part, your “Brooklyn” edition of Shakespeare's amlet.”. At the end of that tine I will either return it at your expense, or I will remit the sum of $1.45 per week for ten months Please hurry. Charles W. Stokes. The Grand Globule HAT man made all his money on one race.” “Horse “Naw—Nordic.” comicbooks.com