Life, 1910-12-22 · page 38 of 44
Life — December 22, 1910 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1910 *Life* magazine page satirizes anti-suffragette sentiment through a contest offering $300 for the best argument against marrying a suffragette. The cartoon at top shows a woman (representing a suffragette) physically overpowering a man, illustrating the central satirical premise: men's fear that suffragettes would dominate marriages. The three submitted entries mock common male anxieties about women's rights activists: 1. **Frank E. Lantz** fears a suffragette wife would censor his *Life* magazines and "rule the ranch" 2. **George A. Rich** claims men are "born to be slaves" and marriage to a suffragette would worsen this condition 3. An unnamed third entry sarcastically argues that intelligent women who demand political equality are unfit wives because they'd speak uncomfortable truths *Life's* editors use humor to expose the absurdity of these objections—essentially ridiculing men who oppose women's suffrage by letting them voice their most petty, self-serving fears.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life’s Suffragette Contest XX No Man Should Marry a Suffragette Dear Lire: There is one valid and suffi- cient reason why I should not marry a suffragette. If any man can say that this reason does not apply to him, it is a sad reflection on his literary taste and he should be barred from entering the contest. One of the principal pleasures of my existence is the weekly perusal of Lire. I devour every word of it— even the full-page stories of your sad experiences with mental subscriber: The chief adornment of my library table is the latest copy of Lire. The regular readers well know that the editors and contributing editors of Lire exercise their wit and sarcasm with frequent and amusingly subtle flings at the suffragettes and their cause. Imagine, for a moment, myself be- ing married to one of them! What would it mean? Simply this—that she, the domineering disciple of Priscilla Jawbones, would rule the ranch. And the first act of her administration would be to investigate and censor my literary possessions. Lire would be forever barred from her (?) library table. Never would she tolerate what Lire does to the suffragettes. One glance at the likeness of Priscilla Jaw- bones would suffice to make her revolt. In the end I would probably be forced to peregrinate, with Reno as the ulti- mate (it is discovered). Marry a suffragette? Not on your life—not for THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS. Contestingly yours, Frank E XXI Why One Man Doesn't Wed a Suffragette Man of Mirth, I'll do my part, And will tell you why my heart Shuns the widely spreading net Of the sturdy suffragette. From the cradle to the grave Man was born to be a slave: This I learn from conversation, Reinforced by observation: All he has for this affliction Is the pleasing little fiction a $300 to the Winner IFE will pay the sum of ‘Three Hundred Dollars for the best reason, or reasons, why any man should not marry a suffragette. CONDITIONS: Each answer must be limited to three hundred words. Manuscripts, however, may be as short as the con- testant prefers. Manuscripts must be typewritten, and should be addressed to Tue Contest Eprror or Lire, 17 West 31st Street, New York. The contest is now on, and will close on December 31st, 1910. Manuscripts received after that date will not be considered. Lire will pay at its regular rates for all manuscripts published. The prize will be awarded by the Editors of Lire, and the announce- ment 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 com- pete. The contest is open to every one. Manuscripts will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope. That his home is as a castle Where he rules both peer and Take that from him, what rem; Dungeon cells and prison chains, Yet that’s surely what he'll get If he weds a suffragette. George A. Rich. XXil Why Any Man Should Not Marry a Suffragette Why should not any marry a suffragette? Simply because not every man is fit to marry a woman with intelli- gence enough to demand for herself a share in the govern- ment. There is every good reason why some men should not) marry = an_ intelligent woman, An_ intelligent’ woman is quite apt to tell the plain, unvarnished truth disagreeably, and there are many men to whom the truth every day would be a painful infliction. She would doubtless explain him to him- self, and that would make him un- happy. A suffragette is a woman endowed with brains and character, who firmly believes that the mothers of men should be entitled to share in the in- terests of men—and they are deter- mined that they will not permit one- half of the population to be the pets and drudges of the other half of the human race. The average man’s ideal of a wife is the insipid, characterless sort of a doll that will gaze upon him with childlike confidence, spending her days in flattering his vanity and smoothing down his ruffled feathers—when the world at large has been telling him the truth about himself, making up from her unlimited store of affection, pa- tience and laudation for all his defects and assorted samples of littleness. Nor is the man who expects to find in a wife a combination, hard-working machine, household drudge and nurse- maid to his seven or nine children, the sort that will be happy with a suf- fragette as a wife. She would probably reform his w: by kindness—or otherwise—and th odds are at least ten to one that the man who is accustomed to coming home at night only when other more agreeable places are closed would not take kindly to reform. Estette L. Newcomsr. (Concluded on page 1171) New The Mark until 1 meet | outlay and at than ¢ throug mansh A By d Al this s ingma injure rush ¢ play ¢ By | The novel. charm of pra beyoni withor than * “Mor tion jt the at: in the: “Ther when nous 1 ommer Desert HA M Comicbooks.com