Life — May 13, 1915 — page 21: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“| PPA Aftermath of the Contest HE total number of answers received in reply to the question, “ What has just been said?”, was 121,299, or, taking the population of the United States at 100,000,- 000, one answer from every 825 inhabitants of our country. One thousand, eight hundred and ten answers were re- ceived after the hour for closing the contest. Considering that the contest was open from February 18 to April 24 and frequent warnings were given to send in answers promptly, it would have been unfair to the other con- testants to give these late replies any consideration. Three thousand, nine hundred and seventy-nine answers did not comply with the frequently printed rules, The senders were notified of the fact up to the time when it would be too late to send a correction. Most of them sent answers correcting their previous errors. The remaining 115,510 were read hy competent readers and every one of them considered. From these, 1,305 were selected as having a sufficient degree of merit for further consideration. These were carefully read and re-read and finally sifted down to 1653. These 165 were numbered and typewritten on sheets, without the names of their senders, for consideration by the seven final judges, Each judge selected the twelve he considered best, and those selected, numbering 60, were again typewritten and the judges again chose the best, each numbering his selections in the order of their merit. By a mathematical process the actual consensus of opinion on these selections was obtained, the prize-winners being chosen in this way, Ata further con- ference of the judges, after the choices had been deter- mined and consideration given to the answers, there was absolutely no dissension as to the correctness of the result thus obtained. A very large number of the contestants put into the mouths of one or the other of the characters Sherman's famous utterance, “War is hell”, and variations and amendments of that statement. Perhaps next in favor were, “All is fair in love and war” and “I could not love thee, dear, so much, loved I not honor more”. Feminism was very much to the front among the answers, its most frequent expression being, “I will not ise my boy to be a soldier.” Another example is found in: He: I see women are doing great work in the war. Sue: Yes, they are furnishing the targets. Both sides of the suffrage question were advocated, the favorite statement being a belief that if women had votes there would be no war. Many contestants thought the subject under discussion was the young man's intention to volunteer or not volun- tcer, or the young woman's idea of becoming a Red Cross nurse. One took this view: Sue: I'd like to be a Red Cross nurse. He: Maybe a nurse, but not red nor cross. Plays on “A call to arms" were frequent, as was “Don't talk war; talk business.” little pig stayed at home.” Many favored, “ This Quite a few introduced a punning reference to this journal's title, such as, “I see Lire is being widely taken in Europe,” and others harked back to a previous winning title, as shown in: “Tell me, pretty maiden, which shall it be’—— “Onwerd, Christian Soldier” or “Abide with Me”. One contestant makes the young man propose with the question, “ Will you he my widow?” “It's a long way to ‘ipperary” was. often selected, in one case the reply being added, “Yes, if you take the German route.” An- other makes the hero say, “I'd rather face rice-powder than gun-powder any day.” Among popular quotations put in the characters’ mouths were, “ The sex is ever to a soldier kind”; “ The paths of glory lead but to the grave” I hate war, for it spoils conversation”; “In love, as in war, a fortress that parleys is half taken”; “Paradise lies under the shadow of swords"; “One murder makes a villain, millions a hero”; “He who waits for dead men’s shoes may have to go a long time barefoot", and “My arms, your defense; your arms, my recompense", There was an abundance of quotations from standard authors, the answers, for instance, quoting almost every of the Rubaiyat and a goodly proportion of Shake- are. From the last the most popular seemed to be, ‘1 do see here a divided duty”, and: lack, there lies more peril in thine eye Than twenty of their swords.” These three quotations were widely favored: “But war's a game which, were their subjects wise, Kings would: not play at.” “ Why should a man whose blood is warm within Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster?” “Since we knew not how war may prove, Heart of my heart, let us talk of love.” Many of the contestants were very serious-minded and accused’ the couple of such sentiment as, “Why is my father’s brother killing your sister’s son?" “See how these Christians love each other” and “‘ What are they fighting for?’ ‘Widows and orphans.’ The sarcastically inclined gave us, “‘The man I marry must be a hero.’ ‘He will be." “Titled English Hus- band: If I enlisted I'd be shot. Disillusioned American Wife: That's better than sticking around here half-shot ", and “He: I suppose if you were a man you would enlist, She: If you were a man, you would enlist.” More facetious were such conversations as these: “Why do the Germans spell ‘Kultur’ with a K?" “For the Kaiser?” No. Because England controls the seas.”