Life, 1917-05-31 · page 9 of 38
Life — May 31, 1917 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct elements: **Main Illustration (top):** A social scene showing women in an interior setting. The caption criticizes a "young leading man" for being conceited and self-absorbed, suggesting he monopolizes conversations by talking about himself. This appears to be satirizing vanity and poor social etiquette among the wealthy or fashionable set. **Bottom Section:** An article titled "Lend a Hand" appeals to patriotic spirit during wartime (likely WWI, given references to "Uncle Sam" and farming efforts). It urges civilians—farmers, families, and workers of all classes—to contribute to the war effort through labor and sacrifice. The small illustration below shows what appears to be a domestic scene with a child and adult, accompanying a caption about a "humble-bee" in a box. The page blends social satire with patriotic wartime messaging.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ICAN’T BEAR THAT YOUNG LEADING MAN; HE’S SO CONCEITED. HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO GET ALONG WITH HIM?” “1 ALWAYS TALK TO HIM ABOUT HIMSELF FOR A WHILE, AND THEN HE TALKS TO ME ABOUT HIMSELF.” ’ the immense powers that science gives to bad men, they have contrived new arts for the betrayal of mankind. To them in their characters, habits, traditions and ambitions the world is indebted for the measurcless catastro- phe of the present hour. . . . Its cause lies in the characters and the po- sitions of a small group of exception- ally dangerous men. Their chief rep- resentatives to-day are well known to the whole world—best known perhaps among the very people they have be- fooled and betrayed. “Let these malefactors called to account for their crimes, solemnly judged, and effectually dis- posed of by the human race. . . . Probably their total number does not much exceed that of the better men than themselves who are killed and wounded in a ‘quiet day’ of trench warfare. They are the chief enemies of mankind. So long as they are suf- 937 fered to remain where they are, peace, progress, civilization will stand in per- petual jeopardy.” Dr. Jacks has expressed what lies in the back of many minds. They know that the shocking crimes of this war demand a punishment. They feel that peace must not come until that punish- ment has befallen. They realize that a part of the job to which we are com- mitted is this salutary punishment of monstrous criminals whose appalling ferocities have bewildered justice. The distinction between right and wrong must be vindicated, and we are in the war to see it done. E.S.M. Lend a Hand ATRIOTIC spirit now wakens all the land; time to don your over- alls and join the Service Band; time to get your spade and dig a parallelo- gram—everybody’s busy now, helping Uncle Sam! On the farm and im the town, amateurs in jeans harvesting the radishes, putting in the beans; folk of high and low degree, birds of every feather, in a common bond of weal - laboring together! Mother has an onion bed, father’s keen for peas; brother’s hunting ‘tater-bugs, upon his knees; sister's raising salsify, grandpa hoes the corn, aunt and uncle weed the patch every sunny morn; each as busy as a bee, happy as a clam —ceverybody’s farming now, helping Uncle Sam! - Corinne Rockwell Swain, down Bobby: SAY, AUNT MAGGIE, HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING OF A LITTLE BUMBLE-BEE THAT I HAD IN THIS BOX? comicbooks.com