Life, 1913-03-06 · page 22 of 72
Life — March 6, 1913 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine announces a special "Suffrage Number" to showcase arguments for women's voting rights—timely during the early 1900s suffrage movement. The magazine invites contributions but maintains editorial standards (wit over dry argument). **"The Plum Tree" cartoon** depicts a man in a top hat reaching into a large tree while ordinary citizens stand below. This likely satirizes political patronage and wealth inequality—the privileged few pluck rewards ("plums"/lucrative positions or profits) from the system while common people remain excluded. **"Fear and Uncertainty"** mocks financiers' circular logic: Eugene Zimmerman reports European investors fear President Wilson will harm American business interests, creating market uncertainty. *Life* ridiculously suggests their fear *causes* the uncertainty they claim to feel—a satirical jab at financiers' self-serving, circular reasoning used to justify their anxieties. The remaining items are brief, witty commentaries on contemporary social topics like dancing, Tammany Hall corruption, and philosophical questions about modern life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
462 An Invitation to Contributors IFE intends to issue a Suffrage Number, L which will give our friends, the suf- fragettes, an opportunity to state their side of the question. We shall take pleasure in publishing in this issue all of the arguments in favor of Woman Suffrage, for which there is space; but it should be understood that the material sub- mitted must, of course, be material which is suitable for Lire—that is to say, it must first, be interesting; second, be short; third, be as clever as possible. Dry figures, prosy arguments and literal state- ments cannot be considered. Everybody is invited to contribute; all pictures and manuscripts submitted should be addressed, as usual, to the Editor of Lirr, and accompanied by a stamped re- turn envelope. Manuscripts should not exceed five hundred words; the shorter, the better. The material will be passed upon in the usual way and if accepted will be paid for at Lire’s usual rates. Fear and Uncertainty T is lucky that Mr. Eugene Zimmer- man, of Cincinnati-on-the-Rhine, has frequent occasion to visit his son-in-law, the Duke of Manchester, for this not only gives the New York papers oppor- tunity to record and re-record the said important fact, but also, whenever he returns, he always brings us valuable talk for publication. In coming back the other day, he said that “financiers abroad do not like Wilson because they are afraid he will do harm to business interests in this country which will in turn injure the market for American securities in Eu- rope. This has caused a feeling of un- certainty among investors over there.” Ring around a rosy. Isn't that just } Wee like financiers? They have a fecling of Ee uncertainty because they are afraid and, no doubt they are afraid because they have a feeling of uncertainty. Until, however, Mr. Zimmerman proves that he THE PLUM TREE ever saw a financier or an investor who did not have a feeling of uncertainty at all times, we shall decline to transmit this momentous message to Mr. Wilson. LARA: They say that one even- ing’s dance is equivalent to walk- ing ten miles. Maun: That was the old style. Now it’s equivalent to climbing about one hundred trees. Please Amend I" is our scholarly neighbor, the Evening Post, that observes that The most reaplendeat shirt fronts in New York, sheltering the largest dia- mond studs, are to be encountered at the annual ‘ball of Tammany’s district associations. Please amend, and for “ sheltering” read “sheltered by.” When the plain shelters the palm the shirt front will shelter the diamond stud. Some Sociologic Questions IS divorce a necessity or a luxury? Is wealth a vice or a crime? Is marriage a dream or an awakening? Is love a doubt or a belief? Is woman a condition or a theory? Is man a precept or an example? Is honesty a rumor or a reality? s beauty a fact or a fancy? Society a union or an open shop? poverty a habit or a hereditament? comicbooks.com