Life, 1913-12-18 · page 15 of 40
Life — December 18, 1913 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This *Life* magazine page satirizes early 20th-century feminist arguments through two separate pieces: **Top cartoon:** "The Longs and the Shorts" depicts tall and short people with incompatible architectural preferences—a visual metaphor for how different groups simply cannot understand each other's values. **Main article:** The piece mocks radical feminist theorist Blanche Shoemaker Wagstaff's argument (published in *The International*) that males are biologically unnecessary and should eventually be eliminated from society. *Life* treats this seriously while subtly ridiculing it—praising the "simplicity" of the idea while sarcastically suggesting men should be eliminated immediately rather than waiting "thousands of years," and sarcastically pitying that supporting men must be "long deferred." **Bottom cartoon:** A stalled motorist complains that his state license claims he's capable of operating a motor car—likely a dig at women obtaining driver's licenses, implying that licensing standards are absurdly low if even women (or incompetent drivers) can pass. The page reflects anti-feminist sentiment common in this era, mocking both extreme feminist theory and women's increasing independence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Wy UST THE LONGS AND THE SHORTS ARE VERY FRIENDLY, BUT NEITHER CAN UNDERSTAND THE ARCHITECTURAL TASTES OF THE OTHER Why Man ? HE real secret of the feminist movement, we almost regret to say, has at last been revealed by Blanche Shoemaker Wagstaff, in a recent number of The Interna- tional, Its simplichy would be astonishing if it were not for the fact that all great ideas are simple. In the course of time, Mrs. Wagstaff states that the male will be eliminated and the femalg will be able to per- petuate herself. Many biologists decry the unnecessary existence of the male. Remy de Gourmont says: “The male is an accident: woman is all sufficient.” Mrs, Wagstaff is very hopeful for the future. She says: “By this wala the human male would be relegated to a role of insignificance without any great loss, and the number would diminish rapidly, while a modified female would occupy the position of queen and mother.” t-for some time that man was superfluous. Possibly as}a water-carrier for suffrage parades he may continue to exist for some years, but that he will vanish eventually is a great comfort. It seems a pity, however, that the process of supporting him should be long de- ferred. We may have to wait for this thousands of years, In the meantime everybody should be sympathized Stalled Motorist: AND THIS D—D STATE LICENSE SAYS 1 with. AM CAPABLE OF OPERATING A MOTOR CAR! comicbooks.com