Life, 1916-11-30 · page 17 of 42
Life — November 30, 1916 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
## Main Poem: "Wanted! A Woman King" This satirical poem ironically proposes female rule as a solution to male governmental failures. The speaker catalogs men's failures—corruption ("sordid, grafting ways"), ineffectual leadership ("flaunted Reason"), and historical violence ("greed and terror")—suggesting a female ruler would be superior. However, the satire cuts both ways: later stanzas reveal the poem mocks both sexes, noting that women "bosses" also burden workers while demanding they "never, never shirk." ## Illustration: "A Prophecy Come True" The image, attributed to Charles E. Hughes (likely the 1916 Republican presidential candidate), depicts two figures observing a man through a window. The caption's meaning remains unclear without additional context. ## Supporting Content The page includes practical advice on community leadership and a personified "Orphan" (the High Cost of Living)—a political metaphor claiming no party takes responsibility for inflation, blaming instead tariff policies and Wall Street. **Overall theme**: Early 20th-century American political and social critique expressed through humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Wanted! NTED: a woman ruler Our destinies to plan, Whose judgment is much cooler Than man—imperfect man! Whose temper is the sweetest ; Not one who longs to cling— One who commands completest— Wanted: a woman king. We're tired of man's pretensions, His sordid, grafting ways, His vanishing dimensions, His cheap, discordant brays. We're tired of flaunted Reason That never does a thing— Of politics and treason— Wanted: a woman king! We have our women bosses; How well they do their work! They make us carry crosses And never, never shirk. They make us toil like mad men The while we have to sing— We're tired of all the bad men— Wanted: a woman king! She must, of course, have power To do just what she likes. No matter what the hour To stop all foolish strikes, Get rid of laws that bind us, And have her own sweet fling, And know just where to find us— Wanted: a woman king! On history’s pages , grim, Why not? Man's failures, ghastl: Unbroken, down the ages Are debited to him. Man's rule—gigantic error! A cruel, bloody ring Forged out of greed and terror— Wanted: a woman king! T. L. M. Advice to the Young IF you want to be a leading member of your community, the best way to proceed is first to hunt up a commun- ity that is already poorly supplied with leaders and then jump right in and begin to lead without further delay. It is not at all difficult to lead a com- munity if you only get in on the ground floor, and no previous experi- ence is necessary. Communities like A PROPHECY COME TRUE “AM AN OUT AND OUT AMERICAN" to be led. That is because most com- munities are like sheep. When they are led it relieves them from thinking on their own account and from other such onerous responsibilities. No other theory adequately accounts for the low grade of leading men which we find in the average community. PEACE, peace, go away; come again another day; little Wall Street wants to play. —Charles E. Hughes The Orphan | AM the High Cost of Living; I am the child of A Little More Profit; no one claims me; my godfather, Pro- tective Tariff, has disowned me; my dear friend, Democrat Tariff, spurns me; Wall Street superciliously snubs me, and I am forced to make my home with Poor Consumer, who hates and abuses me. but who still must keep me for his family. comicbooks.com