Life, 1913-05-29 · page 15 of 44
Life — May 29, 1913 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The upper cartoon satirizes **Mrs. Pankhurst** (leader of the British suffragette movement) and her insistence on women's voting rights. The dialogue mocks her absolutism: when asked what happens after a man "refuses" (presumably to grant women's suffrage), she declares she'll be "alone—with your rights," suggesting rigid principles over pragmatism. The "world as it appears after his first refusal" depicts apocalyptic destruction, sarcastically suggesting her uncompromising stance would devastate society. The reference to "Bernard Shaw" (the famous playwright and social critic) leaving England adds satirical weight, implying even intellectuals would abandon such an obstinate position. The lower cartoon is a separate humor piece about a Chinese butler's creative solution to his mistress's headache excuse: a pidgin-English sign ("SHE GOTTEE HEADACHE—ME WASHEE HAIR") placed at the door. It relies on period stereotypes of Chinese immigrants and broken English for comedy. Both pieces reflect early 20th-century attitudes toward suffrage and immigrant labor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WORLD AS IT APPEARS AFTER HIS FIRST REFUSAL “And then what will happen?” fe “Bernard Shaw will have to leave.” “And you will be all alone —with your rights?” “Yes, Lire, that is the idea.” “T congratulate you, Mrs. Pankhurst. Good morning.” “Good morning, Lire.” = mistress of the house told the Chinese butler that if any one called to say that she wag out, because she had a headache. The Chinese butler thought this was a fine time to wash his hair, so he hit upon the plan of placing this sign in front of the door: SHE GOTTEE HEADACHE—ME WASHEE HAIR. arererrs THE ANSWER TO THIS REBUS WILL BE PUBLISHED IN NEXT WEEK'S LIFE Answer to last week's rebus: “Our Forefathers Worked Hard, But Made Small Fortunes” comicbooks.com