Life Magazine

February 28, 1949 

Several weeks ago, I wrote about a Saturday Evening Post magazine from 1944. Glancing through that magazine, I noticed the overall sense of war time frugality permeating the articles and advertisements.

Looking through this Life magazine from 1949, I can see how much the attitudes had changed in just 5 years. Now, instead of encouraging people to make their cars last longer, advertisements are telling the reader that bigger and newer is better. The Dodge ad states, “When Army physical exams revealed that our wartime generation was far bigger, taller, and more active, Dodge engineers started planning this great new car!” While you’re at it, you may as well get a new Kelvinator refrigerator. “You never saw such room. It’s cold clear to the floor.” You can now shop ahead – buy more – all that excess food will stay fresh!

One article in this magazine really emphasized the new feeling of abundance and wealth. Potato Chippers Have a Convention details the Chicago meeting of leaders in the fast-growing business which had grown to $300 million a year. Home economist Florence La Ganke Harris gave dramatic rebuttals against the slander that potato chips are fattening, while also giving new ideas for adding chips to your diet. Crumble them into meat loves and cookies – all for better health, apparently. From the photos, we can see that the convention was definitely not all work! The convention queen sported a bra made from potato chips, for which she was paid $30 a day. 

From extreme frugality to frivolous excess in five years.  I wonder what people 50 years from now, when looking at a 2017 magazine, will be thinking about the American culture of today. 

When We Were Very Young

By A. A. Milne

Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard

Copyright 1924

What book do you give to a brand-new baby? The options are overwhelming due to the vast quantity of excellent children’s books. But when that book is for a grandchild and her name is Emmeline, the choice is easy!

Tucked into this book of poetry by A. A. Milne, is a sweet little poem entitled Before Tea.

                     Emmeline

Has not been seen

For more than a week.  She slipped between

The two tall trees at the end of the green…

We all went after her.  “Emmeline!”

“Emmeline,

I didn’t mean—

I only said that your hands weren’t clean.”

We went to the trees at the end of the green..

But Emmeline

Was not to be seen. 

Emmeline

Came slipping between

The two tall trees at the end of the green.

We all ran up to her.  “Emmeline!

Where have you been?

Where have you been?

Why, it’s more than a week!”  And Emmeline

Said, “Sillies, I went and saw the Queen.

She says my hands are purfickly clean.”

Pasted inside the front cover of this particular copy of When We Were Very Young is a book plate with my name on it, put there by me when I was very young. I never could have guessed that many years later, I would be passing it along to Emmeline Adrienne, a beautiful, sweet granddaughter. I give it to her with the hope that she will come to love her books enough to proudly paste her own name inside of them!

A Child’s Book of the Teeth

Written and illustrated by Harrison Wader Ferguson, D.D.S.

Copyright 1918

Revised and enlarged edition 1932

Dr. Ferguson was obviously passionate about his profession. Not only did he write a 106-page book about teeth for young children, but delightfully illustrated it as well. His book goes into great detail about the composition of teeth, their purposes, potential problems, and the necessity for care, in words that are easily understandable for a youngster.  My guess is that, working as a dentist a hundred years ago, Dr. Ferguson met many young patients with problem teeth. I can imagine his frustration, knowing how preventable many of these problems were.

What strikes me about this book is the care the author took to explain every aspect of teeth in a language a child can understand, and in a manner that is actually fairly interesting. An adult merely commanding a child to brush their teeth, with no explanation of why, often raises some resistance, or at least half-hearted brushing. However, if that same child was given clear and logical reasons to care for their teeth, they just might be more apt to comply. 

In the same way, if a person is commanded to perform a task by a supervisor with no reason given, they are more likely to grumble and complain. Knowing a logical reason for performing a task makes it so much easier to do. Take a lesson from the talented dentist, writer, and illustrator, Dr. Ferguson, and give understanding and meaning to the tasks you give. If we can find purpose and meaning in our work, it becomes so much more joyful!

Beginning with Mrs. McBee

Written by Cecil Maiden

Drawings by Hilary Knight

Copyright 1960

Sometimes, a book written for the express purpose of teaching a lesson can be obnoxious and cloying. This one, however, is really delightful. Beginning with Mrs. McBee is all about paying it forward. In fact, a repeating line from the book is, “Doing something you can do very well, for somebody who needs it being done, not only pleases him, it pleases you.” The line was first spoken by lonely Mrs. McBee, when Mr. Broadhurst wanted to pay her for helping him with his garden. The following day, Mr. Broadhurst took the advice to heart, taking old, retired fisherman Mr. Grigsby for a joyful ride in his boat. The kind deeds continue throughout the neighborhood until Mr. Mumble, having just enjoyed a home-baked pie, was told by Ethel to just “find somebody who really needs something you can do very well – then go ahead and do it!”

The next morning, Mr. Mumble, upon seeing lonely Mrs. McBee sitting in her rocking chair, gazing longingly up the road, offers to take her for a ride. The story ends with Mr. Mumble and Mrs. McBee riding off into the hills, chatting and singing happily.

Mrs. McBee’s act of kindness caused a chain of events that eventually led full circle right back to her doorstep. That time she spent unselfishly helping her neighbor solve a problem in his garden eventually led to her own feeling of loneliness being swept away by another’s kind deed. This lovely little book, charmingly illustrated by the artist best known for illustrating the Eloise picture books, is truly a gem!