Judge, 1918-10-12 · page 13 of 32
Judge — October 12, 1918 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of "Arabella Does Her Bit" This is a story illustration, not a political cartoon, from the WWI era. The narrative satirizes American women who wished to "do their bit" for the war effort by going to France. The story follows Miss Arabella Wright, who has multiple suitors in the American Expeditionary Force and, bored with domestic life, decides she too should contribute to the war. With her girl friends, she travels to France armed with letters of introduction from influential contacts. She meets an American colonel who, impressed by her patriotic ambitions, cables her father—who promptly orders her home. The satire targets the earnest but naive patriotism of young women wanting to participate in the war, and perhaps their expectation that influential connections could secure meaningful war work. The illustration shows military officers observing a soldier shell-shocked in a trench, emphasizing the contrast between romantic war enthusiasm and grim combat reality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
\ teALLLOWso Arabella. Does Her Bit By J. A. Wa.pron Illustrated by Lawrence Fen LL. of in the France. Miss Arabella Wright’s suitors were American Expeditionary Force in If assembled they would form a squad; and perhaps their number had made it impossible for Arabella to fix her atfec- tions certainly. Life to Arabella was tiresome in the circumstances. Bit in common with several of her girl friends she had an obsession. She thought she also ought to go to the front and do her bit. The manner of doing it was quite indefinite in her mind. How she won the consent of her parents to the adventure is a mystery. The way of a favorite child with fond parents is always a myste! and the war has quite upset former notions. Arabella sailed with three girl friends, all enthusiasts, ows and all armed with letters to persons who were supposed to be anxious to aid their patriotic aspirations. In a several desti- and there Arabella met an American colonel, a e family, whose interest in her ambition she he colonel, like most soldiers, was a man of He cabled Arabella’s father to such purpose ng cable ordered her back home per- action. that an answ emptorily. Unconvinced but dutiful, Arabella started to obey. Influence secured for her a stateroom on one of the few steamers sailing from English ports, and like influence got her across the Channel. She had a few days in London. As she was comi out of the Hotel Cecil one morning she saw entering a comicbooks.com