Life, 1914-03-26 · page 9 of 41
Life — March 26, 1914 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page announces a satirical writing contest about feminism, offering $300 for the best article (five hundred words or less) on the subject. The contest closes May 2, 1914. The top illustration shows classical cherubs or putti in a bacchanalian scene—likely mocking feminism through association with excess or disorder. Below, a cartoon equation reads: woman + money/home = woman climbing a ladder, captioned "ALWAYS THE SAME ANSWER." This satirizes the feminist movement by suggesting that when women gain financial independence and household authority, the inevitable result is their social climbing or abandonment of traditional roles—presented as absurd or undesirable. The satire reflects early 20th-century resistance to women's suffrage and economic independence, treating feminist aspirations as ridiculous rather than legitimate.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WASHINGTON (MUSEO NAZIONALE)—BILL BACCO PRECEDUTO DA UN FAUNO E UNA BACCANTE Feminist Contest 'OR the best article on Feminism in five hundred words or less, Lire will pay three hundred dollars, The con- tributions as they are received will be passed upon and such as are accepted for publication will be paid for at five cents a word. The one which the editors of Lire consider the best of all the contributions accepted will receive the prize of three hundred dollars. The competition begins at once. The accepted manuscript will be published in the Feminist Number of Lire, to be issued the first week in June, 1914. This number will present the case for and against Feminism from Lire’s own standpoint. The conditions of the contest are as follows: No manuscript shall exceed five hundred words in length. Any number of manuscripts on the subject can be sent in by one contributor. The name and address of each contestant should be placed upon the manuscript, which preferably should be typewritten. All those manuscripts which are not acceptable will be returned if accompanied by postage. The contest will close on Saturday, May 2nd. No manu- script received after noon on that date will be considered. All contributions should be addressed to the Editor of Lire, 17 West 31st Street, New York City; and “ Feminist Contest” should be put in the lower left-hand corner of the envelope. Envelopes addressed in any other way will not be considered as belonging to the contest. ALWAYS THE SAME ANSWER