Life, 1928-11-02 · page 6 of 48
Life — November 2, 1928 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **Smith & Wesson revolver advertisement** disguised as social commentary. The illustration depicts two figures on a road: one appears to be a traveler or hitchhiker, the other a suspicious vagrant or "hobo." The headline asks "Hitch-Hiker? Or Hobo?" The ad conflates roadside danger with class anxiety—playing on period fears about transient populations. The text suggests carrying a Smith & Wesson revolver for "protection" during travel, framing gun ownership as common sense self-defense against unpredictable strangers. This reflects early-20th-century anxieties about mobility, urban crime, and working-class people on the road. The ad markets firearms by exploiting social paranoia, positioning the gun as a practical travel accessory for safety-conscious motorists.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Hitch-Hiket? ITCH-HIKER or hobo — often it’s impossible to tell. Many journey thousands of miles on the good nature of motorists— many really need a lift— others more vicious make easy prey of those who can be inveigled into stopping. When you read the recurrent story of the roadside outrage in your morning paper you may swear off giving lifts for a while. But you find it hard to feel like a Bad Samaritan very long. And the best of reso- lutions never kept a tire from going flat. Or Hobo? Isn’t it simply a matter of modern com- mon sense to own the most dependable and accurate revolver that money can buy, going to the small trouble of getting a permit if your local laws require it? There’s often good sport to be had from its normal, law-abiding use. Occasionally, either at home or on the road, there's urgent and immediate need of the vigor- ous protection it affords. A Smith & Wes- son—the final achievement of small-arms development— is a lifetime purchase. Our Descriptive Booklet “D" Will interest you—it will be sent free upon request. SMITH SPRINGFIELD, THE « REVOLVER WESSON MASS. U.S.A. MANUFACTURER A 32 or 38 calibre S. @ W. Safety makes accidental discharge by adult or child smpossiblt comicbooks.com