Life, 1911-02-16 · page 26 of 44
Life — February 16, 1911 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is anti-suffrage propaganda disguised as a mock obituary. The fictional "Miss Priscilla Jawbones"—a caricatured suffragette with an exaggerated masculine jaw—has died, and Life publishes her will leaving her estate to the **Anti-Suffrage Society**. The satire attacks women's suffrage advocates through Jawbones's supposed reasoned critique: that suffragettes are motivated by hysteria, vanity, and desire for newspaper notoriety rather than genuine political conviction. The will claims their leaders exploit less intelligent women and lack true moral character. The bottom cartoon (roosters fighting) reinforces the mockery: suffragettes are portrayed as ridiculous, squabbling, undignified. **Context**: This reflects early 20th-century anti-suffrage arguments that portrayed women voters as emotionally unstable and easily manipulated. Life magazine, despite its satirical reputation, used humor here to delegitimize the women's suffrage movement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
358 -LIFE- Miss Jawbones Passes Away Sudden Demise of a Very Estimable and Talented Lady UST as this is- suc of Lire Koes to press, too late to learn any of the particulars, word comes to this office that Miss Priscilla Jawbones has gone to that bourne where Suffragettes cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. The short- ness of time also prevents the prep- aration of a suit- able panegyric on the departed lady’s record and reputa- tion, but this will appear in a future issue. It is requested that as a mark of respect for her memory, all Suffragettes shall wear the customary badge of mourning for the next thirty days. Printed below will be found our lamented associate's will, which had been placed in our keeping for immediate ublication in ¢ she should suddenly be done away with by the Anti-Suffragists or other enemies who she feared might be plotting against her. The document reads as follows: LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF PRISCILLA JAWBONES I, Priscilla Jawbones, of the city, county and State of New York, spinster (I always loathed that word, but the lawyer insists on my putting it in, goodness knows why), being of sound mind and testa- mentary disposition, do hereby declare and publish this to be my last Will and Testament, hereby revok- ing any cthers by me heretofore made. Viz., to wit: All my property, of whatsoever kind and nature, except my second-best silk dress, I hereby bequeath and devise to the New York State Association Op- posed to Woman Suffrage and commonly known as the Anti-Suffrage Society. T also appoint the said Anti-Suffrage Society my sole executor and direct that it shall be compelled to file no bond for the faithful performance of its duties under this instrument. In making this disposition of my property I feel impelled to state my reasons for the benefit of all the other members of my sex. As is well known I have long associated with the Suffragettes and am thoroughly familiar with their motives and doings. My experience convinces me that— First, the Suffragette movement is based not upon any real desire of even its most blatant members to share in the duties of government, but rests entirely upon feminine hysteria excited and kept alive by women who have no real womanly interests to occupy their thoughts and time. Secondly, that the so-called leaders of the move- ment are for the most part women who for social or mercenary reasons are secking the notoriety which comes from their names appearing in the newspapers. To achieve this they dupe other women into believing that the abandonment of their personal modesty and their joining in various ridiculous proceedings in public places tends to attract attention to the move- ment, to keep it alive, and that in doing these things they are making a noble, womanly sacrifice of their better feelings to advance a great cause. Thirdly, that by skillful trading and playing upon their vanity they secured the co-operation of a few women who have received the newspaper certificate of position as “society” women. These in turn are openly used as decoys to attract the support of snob- bish women with “ society” ambitions, Fourth, I have never found among the leaders of the Suffragettes one woman whom I would hold up as an example to be followed by the young women of the coming generation, In the case of every one of these leaders I have been able to discern some ulterior motive of self-advancement or personal profit, or some mental or physical defect not consonant with true womanhood. Primarily for these reasons, and on account of many others, I have determined to leave my property to an organization which in decent and orderly fash- ion is secking to preserve from perversion and pos- sible extinction the best qualities of our sex—womanli- ness and personal modesty. The second-best silk dress mentioned earlier in this instrument I hereby bequeath to a certain well- known gentleman-Suffragette, whose name will be duly revealed to my executor. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this first day of April, 1910. Prisctnta Jawsonzs. Here follow the usual signatures of the witnesses, etc. Further particulars concerning the demise of Miss Jaw- bones and the arrangement of a commemorative meeting in her honor will appear in the next issue of this journal. “GEE! WHERE ARE YOUR SPURS, CLARENCE? ”* WHY, ER—ER—SINCE THIS SUPFRAGETTE BUSINESS STARTED THE ‘MISSUS’ HAS BEEN WEARING THEM,’’ comicbooks.com