Life, 1910-09-08 · page 27 of 40
Life — September 8, 1910 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces targeting early 1910s American social issues: **"Beef Extract"**: A humorous poem mocking suffragettes by comparing cows to women's rights activists, suggesting their demands for voting rights ("Votes for Women") are as futile as cattle mooing. **"Miss Gaston's Impudence"**: Criticizes Lucy Page Gaston, head of the Anti-Cigarette League, for publicly shaming Eleonora Sears (a known smoker) while claiming moral authority. The piece sarcastically argues that unmarried women with "missions" (like anti-smoking crusades) cause social harm, contrasting Gaston unfavorably with Florence Nightingale. **Fashion illustrations (1810-1910)**: Shows how women's waistlines changed dramatically over a century, implying the artificiality and discomfort of fashion constraints. **"We Still Use Luxuries"**: Notes Americans imported record luxury goods in 1910 despite tariff debates, ironically suggesting that even moral crusaders enjoy fine things—a jab at self-righteous reformers like Gaston. The page's overall theme: mocking sanctimonious reformers who judge others while enjoying comforts themselves.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Beef Extract “XYTHAT are the sad cows mooing, the whole day long?" ihe coo of the cows (comma) darling (comma) Is the wail of an ancient wrong Each bovine pet Is a suffragette With a rt over-brim Long years in vain They've voiced their pain, Jhey’re mooing ‘Votes for Women!’" Miss Gaston’s Impudence ISS LUCY PAGE GAS TON, head of the Anti- Cigarette League, ¢x- presses. herself in the papers as “exceedingly gratified 10 hear from Eleonora Sears that docs not wide publicity to Miss Sears’ was given to the report that she was a cigarctte smoker is to envy Miss Gaston the fine quality of her impudence. Possibly it is unconscious impudence, which would THE BATTLE FIELD END OF THE make it all the finer, but it looks more like the terrorizing impertinence of the suffragettes. The aim in the case of Miss Sears, as in the case of Mrs. Long- worth, bas been to frighten those y ptance of Miss standards of deportment. A nominal ac- ceptance would answer. Public submis- sion is probably enough for Miss Gaston She would hardly insist on evidence that private conduct matched public profes- sion. Florence Nightingale to the contrary notwithstanding, how dreadful, how in- ow uninhabitable a world this would be if it was governed by unmar- 1810—THE WAIST LINE—1910 SUMMEK CAMPAL ried ladies with missions. Some of the great women of the world come under that description, but the really great women do not m It is hard to read of Florence Nightin gale without emotion. It is equally har to read of Lucy Page Gaston without emotion, but bow different the two emo- tions are! But nothing in these remarks should be taken as re nding ladies (or children cither) to smoke cigarettes. A ke blunders in method few women, exceptionally situated, seem to benefit by a little tobacco smoke, The majority of women don't, and the ha is not pretty. In the Smallpox Hospital IRST PATIENT: Haven't I scen i re before? Secono Patient: Certainly. You are physician who vaccinated me We Still Use Luxuries UR importations of luxuries and superfluitics for the year ending July 1, 1910, beat the record (1907) by 25 millions, and doubled the importa- tions of such things ten years ago. Doubtless the new tariff had to do with it, because importers made haste to stock up in some lines before the “ down- ward revision’ would put up prices, while other things, like “art works” came in because the duty was removed We got 48 million dollars’ worth of dia monds and jewels, 6 millions i and embroideries, 37 millions in to! and cigars, 23 millions in wines a quors, 26 millions in furs, lions in art works. We cou and lead virtvous lives without these articles, but t ladies are worthy of embellis! nt and get it, and our hardy gentlemen still ¢ dure a few creature comforts from abroad. And some of us, it would app pite of the high cost of livi something to spend after subsistence has has been provided. comicbooks.com