Life, 1926-01-14 · page 38 of 40
Life — January 14, 1926 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **subscription promotion page**, not a political cartoon. The central image—a winged cherub sitting on an open book—is decorative branding for *Life* magazine itself. The page's purpose is to encourage subscription by reprinting **reader testimonials** from across America and abroad (Japan, Cuba). These letters praise *Life*'s humor and satirical content, with readers describing it as essential entertainment—one calls it a "mental tonic." The phrase "Obey That Impulse" is *Life*'s own marketing slogan, urging readers to act on the impulse to subscribe. The page notes that "hundreds of thousands" have done so and become loyal subscribers. The testimonials emphasize *Life*'s appeal as humorous, fearless commentary on contemporary issues (one reader mentions the "Bruce-Bartonish editorial"). Essentially, this is a **advertising page** leveraging customer satisfaction to sell subscriptions—a common early 20th-century magazine tactic.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Enclosed is two bucks for two ten-weck trial orders—and if 1 laugh as much the next ten weeks as I did the last ten, alc on, making people and others be- lieve I was a dementia precox, I to send five iron men the Cross my heart.” Hirosaki, Japan “LIFE’S humorous columns bring weekly cheer to our home in a for- cign land. 1 do not always find myself in agreement with your point of view, but after all that's what makes LIFE interesting. Let come what may, don't fail to send me LIFE.” Chapel Hill, N.C. “My family would raise a riot if 1 stopped the sub scription to LIFE. From the oldest to the y we all grab for it as s wt arrives each week Xenia, O. “I have taken LIFE from No. 1, Vol. i—brought up the children on LIFE and now the grandchildren, May it live long and prosper!” New York City “Please send LIFE for a I hope folks will like Hartford, Cc better than ever, if that is possible. Please re new my subscription.” Chevy Chase, Md. “Anne and Jimmie consider our copies as much theirs as ours and pore over them by the hour. They love them, and their grandmother some times has to read every word from beginning to end aloud to them.” Danville, Ky. “I wish to take this oppor- tunity of thanking LIFE for the pleasure and amusement I have derived from the pub- lication. I wouldn't be with- out LIFE.” Denver, Col. “Lam an old subscriber, but in leaving Delta, Col., to take up my residence here in Denver, T overlooked renew: ing my subscription, which I now desire to do. I have been a reader for so many years now that I cannot live appily without having LIFE me to me each week.” They Obeyed That Impulse 'OR many years, Lire has made a practice of exhorting its readers to Obey That Impulse — (We've rather hammered it in, in fact.) Coupon after coupon has been sup- plied for the convenience of those who felt like trying the experiment of reading Lire regularly. Hundreds of thousands, in the course of the years, have taken the plunge. They Obeyed That Impulse and signed on the dotted line. We frequently hear from them— these coupon signers — and they are among the stanchest friends LiFE ever made Herewith we publish some of their letters. Read them . Then think what a coupon might do for you. Life Obey That Impulse LIFE 598 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. Please send me LIFE for ten weeks, for which I enclose One Dollar (Canadian, $1.20; Foreign, $1.40) By the Year, $5.00 (Canadian, $5.80; Foreign, $6. BUSH TERMINAL PRINTING CORPORATION BROOKLYN, NEW YORK San Luis, Cuba “L won't tell you what I think of L “cause you may do a little thinking yourself and raise the sub- scription price. Anyway, once you buy it you have to buy it the rest of your own life, even at twenty cents- the price you pay in Cut San Francisco, Cal. “I am enclosing $3 for my renewal. I feel that this mental tonic should be on the Detroit, Mich. “Enclosed is a dollar for ten weeks of LIFE. Your News- stand Number was scream- ingly funny, particularly the Bruce-Bartonish editorial.” Pasadena, Cal. “Enclosing check for $s for ar LIFE, so we may have the cheer, sunshine and wit week by week, at the house.” ‘gin, IL “Please enter me for a year for enclosed $5. It is re- freshing that some few pa- pers have the decency to remain fearless — especially those who have long been in a position to be servile, and could have gotten away with it for more patronage.” Staunton, Va. “Though I belong to nu- merous organizations which afford you no end of amuse- ment; though engaged in a business which puts forth much chatter about Go- Getters, your Go-Getters’ Number has compelled me at last to Obey That Im- pulse. To be su $s easy enough to buy LIFE on the newsstands each week, but— well, I might find myself in Tennessee some day and miss a number.” reading table of every well regulated family.” j -o comicbooks.com