Life — November 18, 1926 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily **advertising**, not satire or political commentary. The left side features a **Ben Wades pipe advertisement** showing a man smoking while boating. The ad emphasizes that Ben Wades pipes are favored by Oxford and Cambridge scholars, London clubmen, and British military officers—positioning the product as a luxury item for refined gentlemen. The right side contains **"The Quintessence of Candor,"** a humorous short story about St. Peter interviewing Orley F. Wormser at Heaven's gates. Orley admits to having done nothing good in life—he was selfish and unhelpful in Horizon City, Wisconsin. St. Peter sardonically grants him entry anyway, after Orley claims to have praised New York to his friends. The humor relies on ironic contrast: despite Orley's admitted worthlessness, he gains heavenly admission.