Life, 1928-05-03 · page 33 of 46
Life — May 3, 1928 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a Smith & Wesson revolver advertisement disguised as satirical advice. The cartoon depicts an older man confronting a burglar, illustrating the ad's premise: modern burglars are dangerous criminals (drug addicts and killers), not romantic rogues deserving mercy. The ad's "satire" argues that the old melodramatic response—allowing a burglar to proceed unmolested—is naive. Instead, the modern homeowner should own and visibly possess a Smith & Wesson revolver. The mere *knowledge* that you're armed deters dangerous criminals from targeting you, the text claims. The appeal is fundamentally about respect and deterrence through visible firepower in the criminal underworld ("the ears of the underworld are everywhere"). This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about urban crime and positions gun ownership as rational self-defense strategy rather than heroic fantasy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
head organ, pjack d ok e thar > hyar potent ckled wered A Modern Form of Gommon-Sense If you wake up some night and find a burglar in your room ---??? ERO stuff? Melodrama? Not likely! You'll probably observe the technique of this profession of which you've heard so much, and tell him, if he knows you're awake, to go right ahead and help himself. The sooner he’s through the better you'll both like it. For you can later replace the stolen valuables with more of the same kind of work that pro- duced them in the first place. And melodramatic heroics are out of date. BUT—the most dangerous of today’s thieves, burglars and stick-up men are fiendishly clever. They know you—and your habits—in advance. If you are known to be armed—they avoid you. They know that the man who would de- cline to interrupt them when they see him first, might act quite differently if he got the drop on them from a dark room or the head of the stairs. And with the new, heavy-penalty laws, second offenders cannot afford to take a chance. Make no mistake. They’re not “‘gallant rogues’’. They’re dope fiends and vicious killers. Own a Smith & Wesson. Talk about it as a matter of course. Let it be known that you are not only armed but armed with the most depend- able and accurate revolver ever made. The ears of the underworld are everywhere. And the pos- session of a Smith & Wesson commands respect. A 32 or 38 calibre S, & W. Safety makes accidental discharge by adult or child impossible. Our Descriptive Booklet “D” will interest you—it will be sent free upon request. SMITH WVESSON SPRINGFIELD, THE « REVOLVER MASS., U.S.A. MANUFACTURER comicbooks.com