Life, 1915-01-21 · page 32 of 44
Life — January 21, 1915 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct satirical pieces from an American publication critical of both feminist social reforms and German military conduct during World War I. **Top cartoon** ("Oh, Steward!"): A seasick woman passenger receives casual reassurance from a ship's steward—mild humor about maritime discomfort. **"Modified Marriage Comes a Cropper"**: This article satirizes feminist advocates of relaxed marriage restrictions by citing the "Rogers case"—apparently a real scandal involving a man who maintained multiple relationships. The author argues that even with willing participants and "modified" marriage arrangements, the situation ended tragically, undermining feminist arguments that such arrangements could work harmoniously. **"The Prussian Orgy"**: This section reproduces German military proclamations (allegedly from the 1914 Belgian invasion) describing the burning of towns, executions of civilians, and hostage-taking as collective punishment. The final line—"Germans seem surprised that the sympathies of the world are not with them"—is devastating satire, implying Germany's actions were self-evidently monstrous yet they expected international sympathy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“OH, STEWARD! I’M GETTIN’ SO SEASICK I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO Do!” “DON'T WORRY, MA'AM, YOU'LL Do IT.” Modified Marriage Comes a Cropper UR feminist friends who see relief from human embarrassment in relaxation of the prejudice against miscellaneous attachments which is embodied in marriage, are invited to give close attention to the Rogers case, running, at this writing, in the daily Papers. Rogers seems to have been a man unusually attractive to women, and un- trammelled by any prejudice that con- flicted with his willingness to afford marital satisfactions according to his ability, All the women he married, or ought to have married, seem to have been deserving, and all were perma- nently attached to him. Moreover, all of them seem to have known of his relations with the others; none of them complain of him, and none, ap- parently, resented his polygamous con- dition. His first wife, from whom he was divorced, hardly counts in the story, except that he leaned on her as an habitual friend and kept in con- stant communication with her. His lawful wife seems to have been a woman of character and great for- bearance. According to advanced feminist principles, the unlawful wife should have got on pretty well. No one, apparently, persecuted her. She had a piece of a man, and liked her fragment. She had two children and loved them. As the feminists see the life of the future, she should have been fairly content, Instead of which she found, poor soul, that she had undertaken more than she could en- dure. Perhaps Mrs. Milholland Boissevain, who is so frank an advocate of modi- fications of marriage, will explain what was the particular trouble in this case that led to so distressing a tragedy. Here was marriage amply modified, and fairly good people in- volved; but, heavens! what an issue! The Prussian Orgy HESE extracts, from German proclamations, taken from the report of the Belgian Commission of Inquiry, make cheerful reading: One of the proclamations issued in Litge on August 22d by General yon Bilow reads as follows: The inhabitants of the town of Ardenne, after having declared their peaceful intentions, have made a surprise attack on our troops. It is with my consent that the Comman- der-in-Chief has ordered the whole town to be burned and that about one hundred people have been shot. I bring this fact to the knowledge of the city of Liége so that the citizens may realize the fate with which they are menaced if they adopt a similar attitude. Another portion of the same proclamation says: Each street will be occupied by a German guard, who will take ten hostages in each street, whom they will keep in custody. If any outrage is committed in the street the ten hostages will be shot. The city of Brussels (exclusive of its suburbs) has been punished for the crime committed by its Police- man Ryckere against a German soldier by an additional fine of five million francs (about one million dollars). And much more of the same color— always red. Germans seem surprised that the sym- pathies of the world are not with them. HANDCUFFS comichooks, com