Life, 1917-07-05 · page 23 of 40
Life — July 5, 1917 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct pieces reflecting early 20th-century American attitudes: **"It Happened in Illinois"**: A dialect-heavy joke about military draft registration. A Black man (drawn with period racist caricature) mistakenly equates draft registration with voting, then "votes" for another Black man to be drafted instead of himself, using a racial slur. The humor relies on stereotypical speech patterns and the racist premise that Black men would gladly sacrifice each other. **"Coming?"**: A brief economic joke about a railroad president joining a union for higher wages—straightforward labor commentary. **Top cartoon**: A woman supervises nude boys bathing in a river, asking if it's illegal. The punchline reveals her husband is a policeman, implying immunity from law enforcement. **"Moonlight"**: A romantic poem by Leolyn Louise Everett (attributed). **Bottom cartoon**: Appears to show someone being arrested ("pinched"), with bystanders telling his wife. The page reflects attitudes toward race, labor, and social hierarchy typical of the era, presented through satirical commentary and period humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
XUM It Happened in Illinois 'HE time was registration day; the place was a small town in Southern Illinois. There was no girl. He was a gentleman of color, and the registrar was having con- siderable trouble explaining the why’s and wherefor’s of the registration. At last Rastus showed a faint glimmer of intelligence. “Dis heyah registrashum fo’ de draf? am a whole lot like ’lection votin’, ain't it?" he asked uncertainly. “Yes,” answered the kindly registrar. Rastus scratched his head in troubled doubt. He was thinking deeply. Presently his brow cleared and a smile spread over his face. He had come to a decision. “Den I votes fer Julius Jackson ter be drafted,” he said. “I nebah did hab no use fo’ dat niggah.” Coming? “NYJHY did Clark resign that railroad presidency?” “He wanted more money, so he joined a railroad men’s union.” “ISN'T IT ILLEGAL TO BATHE THERE WITHOUT SUITS, LITTLE Boys?” “YES—BUT COME IN, JIMMIE’S FATHER'S A COP.” Moonlight I SENT to you a kiss, dear, in a dream. Poor wanderer, all day it was afraid To speed to you, but when the shadows fell The darkness gave it courage and it flew— With what dear haste! to greet you, quite content That it could lie upon your tired brow, And if you woke you would not know its name, But think it just a glimmer of the moon. Leolyn Louise “wey! FELLERS! SAMMIE’S PINCHED!” “RUN TELL HIS WIFE!” comicbooks.com