Life, 1910-09-29 · page 24 of 40
Life — September 29, 1910 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page contains two satirical pieces: **"Life's Suffragette Department"** mocks women's suffrage activism through the fictional character Priscilla Jawbones, who was jailed for obstructing traffic during a suffrage protest. The piece sarcastically defends her while reporting absurd gossip (a rumored engagement to the "Doge of Venice"). The accompanying caricature appears to depict a suffragette. Life concludes by quoting St. Paul's epistles commanding women's silence and submission—presenting anti-suffrage arguments as divine authority. This represents Life's editorial opposition to women's voting rights. **"The Bird Man"** cartoon (right) shows a vulture-like creature, likely representing capitalism or wealthy industrialists exploiting labor. The accompanying essay sardonically argues that capital naturally increases while labor decreases, predicting an eventual utopia where capital exists without labor—a cynical critique of capitalism's trajectory and class inequality. Both pieces use satire to mock progressive causes: suffrage through ridicule, and capitalism through dark economic projection.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIP E® Life’s Suftragette Department ISS PRISCILLA JAWBONES will not once be able to assume hi dutics as Suffragette Editor of Lire, In her enthusiasm for the noble cause of Woman's Suffrage she came into conflict with the police of a nearby city and is now martyr to a brief period of incar- ceration in the local bastile. It is needless to say that her captors were men and that she was tried before a male judge. She was defended by the best woman lawyers it was pos- sible to obtain, but their arguments and procedure, although the court- room was crowded with women vo- ciferating in behalf of Miss Jaw- bones, failed to convince a man judge interpreting man-made law. he technical offence was obstructing street traffic and causing a breach of the peace. The fine imposed was a small one, but Miss Jawbones rightly decided that she would attract more attention to her sacred cause and her- self by going to jail. Right here Lire wishes to deny the report widely cir- culated by envious contemporaries that Miss Jawbones is yoing to marry the Doge of Venice. It is true that when that illustrious Dago heard of Miss Jawbones’s lucrative engagement with Lire he renewed the attentions which have supplied so many columns of interesting copy to America’s yellow journals. Up to that time the Doge's family had opposed the match on the ground that Miss Jawbones could not bring a sufficient dowry to restore the shattered fortunes of the Doge family and_ thereby secure for her an entrance to its exclusive circles and acquaintance with its hereditary recipe for cooking spaghetti. Miss Jawbones wishes it distinctly to be understood 1 she is an American woman, that she considers herseli the equal of any Italian on earth and that she is not am- bitious to enter any Italian family if she has to pay for her ticket of admission. Although she has a woman's natural ambition in the matrimon line, her self-respect would not. pern her to become a brevet-wife even to a Doge, It has been discovered that the cable to Lirr from Rome (italy) and signed “ Pius,” was not a cipher message, but a reference to St. Paul's First Epistle to Timothy, chapter two, verses nine to twelve, reading zs follows: In like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety ; not with’ broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women possessing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjec- tion. I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to he in silence THE BIRD MAN ONLY A QUESTION oF Tin Capital and Laber HERE may be a struggle between capital and labor, but it needn't alarm us. One has but to glance at history 0 sce that civilization is taking care of this question as fast as evolution will permit. In the beginning the Lord made Heaven and earth, but no- where on the landscape was there a particle of capital Then the Lord made ma I there was no cag Then man began to labor and, lo! there was capital, produced by the labor of the man. Ever ice that time man’s labor has been producin; tal. What is the result? Capital is increasing. Labor is de- creasing. The rich don't have to work and many of the poor lowed to work. will be the ultimate result? capital and no labor will be necessar: That will be the end of the struggle between capital labor. Q. E. D. erything will be comicbooks.com