Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: mottos

"Keep Cool." A postcard published by D. Hillson in 1907.

A postcard addressed on the other side to Miss Hildur Linton [her later married name was Hildur T. Otto ], 1014 7th St., S.E., City, and postmarked on Oct. 13, 1908, in Minneapolis, Minn. The enigmatic handwritten message on the back is: "Puzzle. Can you find the sender? Yes - no."

This vinegar valentine is a postcard that was addressed to H. W. Booser, 13th Street, Harrisburg, Pa. The card was postmarked first in Lewisberry, Pa., and then a second time in Harrisburg, Pa., on Feb. 14, 1908. Although the postcard was sent anonymously with no message or signature, it's possible that the recipient recognized the sender by the postmark or through the handwriting of the address. As it turns out, Harry W. Booser lived at 121 N. 13th Street in Harrisburg, and he worked as a salesman, so the vinegary humor of the card was apparently directed at him. The Salesman His motto is still do or die And he nags you until you must buy. His line is complete And his nerve hard to beat But sometimes he goes on the fly. Signs, etc., in illustration: Office. This is our busy day. Samples. This way out. 85% discount to jobbers. Expense account.

A reward of merit dated 1875. Unfortunately, the small but colorful chromolithographed scrap glued to the middle of the card isn't positioned correctly (take a look at a rotated version instead of craning your neck), but the elaborate design surrounding the scrap makes up for it. The nineteenth-century "maxim" printed on the card reminds me of the modern quip about know-it-alls: "Those who think they know everything annoy those of us who do." For another reward of merit printed by Colton, Zahm, & Roberts, see Look Up and Not Down . Golden Maxim Reward Those who know everything in general, know nothing in particular. Colton, Zahm, & Roberts, New York. Written on the back of the card: "1875, James M. Stoner."

A rotated view of this reward of merit provides a better--though still tilted--view of the chromolithographed scrap added in the middle For the original, see Those Who Know Everything in General Know Nothing in Particular .

"Aim Straight. A. Lanborn." Cupid is aiming straight for the heart in the illustration on this nineteenth-century sentiment card .

"Dear Sir: Farmers and horsemen know that 5A Horse Blankets are 'great for wear.' That is why they prefer them to all others. See other side for name of your dealer. Yours respectfully, Wm. Ayres & Sons, Mfrs., Philadelphia." Printed on the back of this advertising postcard: "Dear Sir: When buying horse blankets, ask for 5A Blankets and Robes, which are known as the best and strongest; always look for the 5A trademark. They are sold by R. J. Brophy, Waterloo. Buy 5A Square Blankets for street use, 5A Bias Girth Blankets for stable use, 5A Lap Robes for your own comfort." Addressed to Mr. Thomas Martin, Waterloo, N.Y., and postmarked Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 13, 1908.

"The 'Standard,' our name is our motto. 2000 turns in a minute, clear the track! Standard Rotary Shuttle. Compliments of the Standard Sewing Machine Co., Cleveland, O. The Standard Rotary Shuttle Sewing Machine, the lightest, quietest, swiftest running machine in the world. ________, agent. Johns & Co. Lith., Cleveland, O." In the illustration on this nineteenth-century advertising trade card, the winner of the bike race is riding a high-wheel bicycle--or " penny-farthing "--that was somehow constructed using a giant version of one of the Standard Sewing Machine Company's rotary shuttles as one of the wheels. The cyclist following the winner wasn't using a rotary-shuttle wheel, so it's not surprising that he is falling flat on his face. The obvious superiority of the winner's equipment hasn't been lost on the three immaculately dressed women and the young girl, all of whom have been watching the race. They're all staring intently at the winning cyclist, and one woman even appears to be waving her handkerchief at him. I suspect that all of the women and perhaps even the girl went out and purchased a Standard rotary shuttle sewing machine as soon as the race was over.

"Merit Reward Merit. Look up and not down. Look forward and not backward. Look out and not in. And lend a hand. Presented to David Snyder, by R. C. McNamar, teacher. Colton, Zahm & Roberts, N.Y." American author Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909) published variations of his "Four Mottos" ("Look up and not down, look forward and not back, look out and not in, and lend a hand!") as early as 1870. For another reward of merit printed by Colton, Zahm, & Roberts, see Those Who Know Everything in General Know Nothing in Particular .

Card of Admission to the Easter Baptismal Services, East Baptist Church, Philad'a, Pa. Morning: Music by Prof. Fennemore's Orchestra. Afternoon: Easter Carols, Children's Choir in Uniform. Easter Sunday, 1892. "Believe and be baptized." Morning at 9:45. Afternoon at 3:45. -------- Churchgoers presented these "cards of admission" (tickets) in order to attend either the morning or afternoon services at the East Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pa., on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1892. Members of this church also had the opportunity to attend a religious-themed magic lantern slide show that was held three days earlier on Maundy Thursday . For a ticket to this show, see Magic Lantern Views for Children's Easter Offering, East Baptist Church, Philadelphia, Pa., April 14, 1892 .

Unrepentant milk drinkers arrested for disudderly conduct and nearly causing a cowtastrophe.

"The Procrastinator's Hereafter. Take a friend's advice: Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today--Answer that letter." Sign: "Bottomless Pit Drop In." Pity the poor procrastinator who doesn't answer his letters! This pathetic fellow obviously failed to keep up with his correspondence while he was alive, and now in the "hereafter" the devil is looking over his shoulder to make sure he responds on time--and for all time! In order to avoid falling into the fiery "Bottomless Pit" below, the procrastinator is precariously perched on an endless roll of paper as he scribbles out his message. The last few lines he's written on the paper suggest that he's trying to explain away his current predicament: "...in my new home. Although everything is up to sample, I'm not stuck on the place but circumstances over which I have no control impel me to stick...." -------- Reverse of postcard: Postmarked: "Hartford, Conn., Aug. 25, 1912." Addressed to: "Mr. W. J. Ross, 131 River St., N. Adams, Mass." Handwritten message: "Dear Will: What do you think of this for a card? I don't hear from Flora very often. I'm working and not having much fun either--just existing. Not as tired as when I came here. Hastily, Cora."

A 1924 membership card for the Curwensville, Pa., Kennel (chapter) of the Ancient, Honorable, Transcendental, and Effervescent Order of Yellow Dogs. "Ride Si Sapis Sine Cura Esto Perpetuum Hic Et Ubique" (Google translates this from the Latin as: "The ride here forever and everywhere, if you are wise, be wholly free from care.") See also Angelica Paez's Order of Yellow Dogs membership card and my own The Yellow Dogs Will Gnaw at the Ancient Relic, 1923 ticket.

From the 1950s Captain Midnight television show, starring Richard Webb as Captain Midnight, an aviator who was code-named SQ-1 and fought the bad guys as the leader of the Secret Squadron. -------- This is to certify that the undersigned is an official member of the Secret Squadron, 1955-1956. SQ 316422 ________ (Sign your name here in ink.) Important--carry this card with you at all times, Captain Midnight. Justice through strength and courage.

See the full version of this real photo postcard for additional information.

This real photo postcard shows a teacher standing in front of his classroom in what was probably a one-room schoolhouse located in York County, Pennsylvania, sometime in the 1910s. Handwritten on the blackboard is "Elias M. Baugher, Teacher." The calendar in the upper left-hand corner displays the month of March, but the photo isn't clear enough to make out the year. Another interesting detail is the printed sign hanging above the blackboard, which says, "Try, try again." For a close-up of the blackboard, calendar, and sign , mouse over the image above, or select the thumbnail image below. Elias M. Baugher's gravestone appears on the Find A Grave site and reveals that he was born on February 15, 1892, and died September 25, 1918, at the age of 26. He is buried in the Chestnut Grove Brethren Cemetery, located in Jefferson, York County, Pa. The calendar that's visible in the photo tells us that March 1 occurred on a Friday in the year the photo was taken. Since March 1 fell on Fridays in 1907, 1912, and 1918, the photo probably either dates to 1912, when Elias was 20 years old, or to 1918 (the year he died), when he was 26. It's less likely, I would think, that the photo was taken in 1907, when Elias was only 15. A Google Books search turned up the Pennsylvania State Education Association's Report of Proceedings for 1919 , pp. 64-65, which included his name in a list of educators who passed away in 1918 and noted that he "died in camp." The report explained the circumstances: "During the year just closed war and disease exacted from us a heavy toll. Influenza proved a veritable scourge.... It left in its wake sorrow and sadness. More than one hundred teachers of the State were victims of its deadly attack." Another book, York County and the World War (1920), p. 124, relates that Elias was drafted into the army during the last months of World War I (1914-1918) and confirms that he died of flu: "Private Elias M. Baugher. U. S. Infantry, Camp Lee, Va. Private Baugher was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Freeman Baugher of near Jefferson, York County, Pa. He left for Camp Lee, June 24, 1918, with the third County quota of drafted men, where he died of influenza. Prior to entering the service he was engaged in farming in Frederick County, Md. Interment was made at the Chestnut Grove Church of the Brethren. He was 26 years old at the time of his death. He is survived by three brothers and three sisters besides his parents." So it turns out that Elias M. Baugher, a young teacher drafted into the army, fell victim to the 1918 flu pandemic , which, unlike other influenza outbreaks, "killed predominantly previously healthy young adults." As detailed in The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918: A Digital Encyclopedia , Camp Lee, located in Petersburg, Virginia, just 25 miles from Richmond, was home to almost 48,000 soldiers. The camp experienced its first case of the flu on September 13, 1918, and by September 19 there were more than 1,000 cases. Elias died on September 25, and the flu epidemic continued to rage locally in Camp Lee and then in Richmond. Influenza afflicted the country and the world in a global pandemic during the remaining months of 1918 and on into the following year.

Class of '84. Blanche Wilhelm, Mamie Moss, Minnie I. Wright, Maggie M. Waltman, Mame E. Jones, Omie Tilton, Joseph A. Cameron, Joseph N. Wright, Albert E. May. Mundus ante nos est [the world is before us].