Life, 1911-10-05 · page 26 of 50
Life — October 5, 1911 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents readers' letters responding to recent *Life* articles. The main cartoon depicts two figures in an early automobile labeled "1913," illustrating the caption "Love at First Sight"—a visual pun on romantic attraction applied to a car. The letters address serious social debates of 1911: **"The Union Card"** criticizes mandatory union membership, arguing workers are coerced into joining despite reluctance. **"Doubts from Ottawa"** challenges vaccination's effectiveness and safety, citing personal anecdotes of vaccination injuries and deaths while claiming clean living prevents disease—reflecting genuine anti-vaccination sentiment that existed in the early 20th century. **"What is Love, Anyway?"** critiques class hypocrisy: wealthy girls who marry for money gain social acceptance, while poor girls who give themselves for love face permanent ostracism. The writer questions society's moral consistency. These letters reveal *Life*'s role as a forum for public debate on labor rights, medical skepticism, and social inequality—issues that resonated with educated readers of the era.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
sab We Are Constantly in Receipt of Important Letters Which Are Too Long for Our Limited Space. Brevity is The Union Card Draw Live: I always read the “ From Our Read- Many of the views of the old you issue of ers” page in Live there expressed remind me saw—it depends on the way hold the looking glass. In your August 31, "A Union Man's” letter did not show unusual or deep thinking, but “the workingman who fortune last sentence: realizes his attracted was oblig the that is his ‘union attention, 1 am a union to join after being told I could get no more work. 1 “union card” regularly and it is a most unsatisfactory and humiliating purchase, I a large majority of cards” card” my n thoroughly convinced a the who are anxiously when it away This isn't for the very men carry “union waiting for the time will be safe 10 throw them hoof a “1 non-union I am, compulsorily, “A Ustox Max.” ptember 8, 1911. nd of the Free” n, do you think? Doubts from Ottawa Dea Lire: I always enjoy Lire It the 1 a little and full of is always ahead of surprises and new thoughts. The issue in the criti- Locke's novel, “ The Glory und the work good of August 24 surprises me Mr. of Clementina.” 1 Love AT FT Absolutely Essential to Publication reading of its kind, and never dreamed “purposive bee.” Now | Other thin example that he had a 's do that of saying see it and not some things without thought in its truc sense, Stirling m_ sorry, For form a surprise me. people habit as docs correspondent, Hyde, relative to vaccination. Vaccination has never been your proved a successful preventive of smallpox that 1 No statistics on the mat- En passant, it may be that the has latel can discover. ler are reliable to you to learn of Police of Montreal urrest_ of persons spreading I have per- ordered the anti-vaccination literature. sonal knowledge of many serious penings 10 persons through vaccination, Lut have yet to see proof that a vacci- nated person who did not get smallpox would have had it had he not been vae- cinated, or that a person who recovered from both vaccination and Ipox would have died of the latter had he not suffered the former. I have been through four epidemics and have observed that it never attacks clean people living in wholesome envi ronment. Was when qu young and nearly life thereby my arm being saved purely by a wonder- ful innate power of resistance. A girl five old (my sister-in-law), died in a few weeks after being vaccinated ; her health had been good up to the time of her inoculation sm. vaccinated lost. my years No statistics exist showing the num- st ste ber of withered arms, losses of sight losses of life and broken down constitu the filthy va Many, however, who have lived where can tell of ions produced by vaccination is compulsory, bad results observed. Yours truly, H. MeD, Wantees. Ottawa, August ton 29, What is Love, Anyway ? Dear Lire: A Newport girl marries for love and is ostracized by her parents and “ society.” Another girl m more, and " society ties for ten millions society” will break its back to bow to her. Another girl, the “woman” in the Richmond trial, gave herself for love, when a mere child, and all classes of * will hound her until she dies. Do the gods laugh at or weep over us, and isn't the dignity of “ society what similar 16 that of a billy-goat? Sincerely yours, Wno Wisnes Wasmixerox, D.C, September 11, 1911. Good Idea ! Ose Kxow. Epitox Lire Six.—I have enjoyed Lire for a num- ber of years and have been somewha amazed at your continued antagonism to and criticism of such things as vacci- nation, Boards of Health and I have a suggestion to make abolish Boards of Health, va and Serum Therapy twenty years and await results. Yours trul Serum Therapy. try to cination for say Frep. Putrstox. September 9, 1911. The Difference bs FTER all,” ful of difference realization.” You bet, swers the man with the chenille whiskers. “ For instance, read- ing a sced catalogue in the spring and looking at your garden in the fall.” observes the thought “there's always a lot expectation and man, between EACHER: How many zones has the earth? Puri: Five. Teactter: Correct ame them Purit: Temperate zone, intemperate, canal, horrid and o comicbooks.com