Life — November 5, 1925 — page 48: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Luxury Cruise Mediterranean Palestine -Egypt A mlearare cruise exceeding erery exprctation— as omer, POET Mrrice, enjovante entertatnment on board the Hpatterdom Seente tolenaors stiampe od toring a1ghes Um Interesting Old Wortd jands. By the famous “ROTTERDAM” (5th Cruise) Leaving New York, February 2, 1926 Under the Hotuanp-America Lrne’s own management The “ROTTERDAM” . 24,170 tons register, 37,190 tons displacement Flay a world-wide reputation for the magnificence and comfort of her intments, the surpassing excellence of her cuisipe and the high Nandards of service and management on board. Sixty-Seven Days of Delightful Diversion ITINERARY Includes Maderia. Lisbon. Cadiz, Seville, Gibrattar, Algiers, Tunis, Athens, Constantinople, the Holy Land and Egypt, Italy and the Riviera Carefully planned Shore Excursions. Stopover in Europe. Number of guests IImited American Express Co. Arents In charge of Shore Excursions. For choice selection of accommodations make reservations NOW Tilustrated Folder “L” on request. ' HOLLAND-AMERICA LINE 21-24 State Street, New York Boston, Philadetphia, Pitts San Franciseo. Mexico City, Montreal, Toronto, Winn bes. Or eny authortzed Steamship Agent To Ensure Brightness and Happiness All Through the Year read And enjoy the brightest and best fun of the day, right in the Original Package! Laughter, Happiness, Health, for the Whole Family, for the one subscription price! A good laugh is Nature’s cure for many an ill, and with Lire, the best paper of its kind, you are sure of an hour’s fun (a full treatment) each week. It is to your advantage to try it for a year, or try our Special Offer Enclosed find One Dollar (Canadian $1.20, Foreign $1.40). Send Lire for the next ten weeks to LIFE, 598 Madison Avenue, New York One Year $5 Canadian $5.80 Foreign $6.60 aay Make the Lead-Pencils Legitimate Write About It Now to Your Favorite Congressman I arrive carly that morning before any one else, and crawled up the steam pipes to a shelf near the ceiling, where I lay flat. Then I crawled down again and got several tele- phone books, which I carried up and placed in front of me so that I was pretty well concealed. Then I crawled down a second time, and stood on the floor and took a good look at myself up there, until I was convinced that I couldn't be seen. I wanted to be completely hidden so that I could take observations of the office force all day without their know- ing it. The first person arrived about nine o'clock, and took out a Icad-pencil and sharpened it. I made a note of it, in my memorandum book. He made some marks with the pencil on a pad, and then laid them both down and went to answer the telephone. The second person arrived while he was telephoning, and picked up the lead-pencil and took it over to his desk. I noted it. A third person made a mistake in some figures, and bor- rowed the lead-pencil to use the eraser on the end. When he was through he stuck it in his pocket. I started a new page of notes, The first person had finished telephoning by this time, and returned to his desk. He did not act as if he missed the lead-pencil, but leaned over to a fourth person and borrowed his. I took it down. A fifth person happened to find a lead-pencil on the floor, and so the sixth person, who had dropped it, came across the room and took a pencil which the third person had borrowed from a seventh person, and carried it back to his desk. Some one had been at his desk in the meantime, and had left another pencil there; so when he got back he lent the pencil he had just borrowed to a ninth person. I made a chart of it. A sixteenth person during the day contributed a silver pencil, and it was bright and easy to follow. It passed around the entire office force twice, and went home in the vest-pocket of the assistant accountant. During the day twenty-three lead-pencils had been in circulation, The only one which had not gone the rounds was the one which the third person had borrowed from the first person, and which he had forgotten and left in his pocket all day. His son took it that night to do his home-work. During the day no one sent out and bought a pencil. During the day no one spent a penny for a pencil. As I crawled down the steam pipes that evening after the office force had left, and put back the telephone books, I couldn't help wondering who it is that buys all the lead- pencils. I don’t remember when I ever bought a lead-pencil myself I don’t know a friend of mine who can remember ever buy- ing a lead-pencil. I don’t remember a single case where any one I know has ever taken lead-pencils seriously enough to buy them. They have been treated as common property, and it isn’t fair. That night I would have written a letter to my Congress- man, asking him to see about making the lead-pencil legiti- mate so that it could call its soul its own; but when I got out my pad I found that some one had borrowed my pencil. And it was such a nice pencil, and it wasn’t mine. C.F. The Skeptic Meave: I've driven this car five thousand miles and have never spent a cent for repairs. Reape: I'd like to find a garage that extends credit like that! BUSH TERMINAL PRINTING CORPORATION, BROCKLYN, KEW YORK comicbooks.com