Life — October 26, 1916 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 699 This page contains primarily **literary and advertising content** rather than political cartoons. The main poem, "The Secretary's Song," appears to be **satire about women's expanding roles**. It depicts a woman who progressed from a rule-following girl to someone who "ruled the U.S.N." (U.S. Navy), learned about voting and cooking, and now questions traditional gender expectations ("I don't like this and I don't like that; I have some methods of wearing a hat"). The advertisement for **Southern Pacific Steamships** and the book promotion for Margaret Deland's novel "The Rising Tide" suggest the page targets **educated women readers**, likely reflecting early 20th-century debates about women's education, suffrage, and changing social roles. The humor lies in the woman's journey from strict conformity to assertive independence.