Life, 1910-10-27 · page 24 of 44
Life — October 27, 1910 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes anti-suffrage sentiment through a mock contest. Life magazine offers $300 for the best argument against men marrying suffragettes—a joke exposing the absurdity of such opposition. The cartoon depicts a man fleeing from a woman advocating women's rights, captioned "What luck! Here comes that female who's been talking to my wife about woman's rights." The page includes witty repartee mocking Father Vaughan's critique of women, with Ida Husted Harper countering that women's domestic duties require engaging with men first. The accompanying anecdote plays on marital discord caused by suffragette activism, with a man sadly admitting his wife left during a discussion of women's rights. The satire's point: anti-suffrage arguments were so weak they deserved ridicule. By weaponizing humor, Life supported women's voting rights while entertaining readers through exaggerated male anxiety about empowered women.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LUPE* Life’s Suffragette Contest $300 to the Winner LIFE will pay the sum of Three Hundred Dollars for the best reason, or reasons, why any man should not marry a suffragette. CONDITIONS: The answer should be limited to three hundred words. Each manuscript, however, may be as short as the contestant prefers. Manuscripts must be typewritten, and should be addressed to Tue Contest Eptror or Lire, 17 West 31st Street, New York. The contest is now on, and will close on Decem- ber 31st, 1910. Manuscripts received after that date will not be considered. Lire will pay at its regular rates for all manu- scripts published. ‘The prize will be awarded by the Editors of Lire, and the announcement of the winner will be made as soon after January 1st, 1911, as possible. It is not necessary to be a regular subscriber to Lire in order to compete. The contest is open to every one. Teles “WHAT LUCK! MERE COMES THAT FEMALE W10'S BEEN TALK- 4 HAT “wiht eong Withi'Pour “auto wiille your-sile was ING TO MY WIFE ABOUT WOMAN’S RIGHTS.’ away?" we ask of our acquaintance. = “I did,” he replies sadly, A Bit of Repartee “T THINK it is a grand thing to sce a woman taking in washing. She's far better than her richer sisters who spend their time taking in men,’ de- clared Father Vaughan in a recent analy- sis of feminine tendencies. “ But,’’ replies Ida Husted Harper, “if they don’t take in the men how are they going to fulfill their only legitimate du- ties [according to Father Vaughan] of wife and mother? Besides, taking in the men is usually preliminary to taking in the washing. Then the washing is neces- sary to support the man in order that he may prove the survival of the fittest.’’ It is the Reverend Father’s next move and we shall await it with interest. Sentiment of a Present-day Song Writer CARE not who writes the classical music of my country so long as I translate it into rag. Gs widows are seldom green. FRIENDS OF THE DECEASED