Life — November 29, 1917 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Slight Difference of Opinion" - Life Magazine, 1917 This one-act play satirizes women's anti-tobacco activism during World War I. Mrs. Greene (representing the Women's Christian Temperance Union) argues that tobacco sent to soldiers is harmful and immoral. Mrs. Smythe counters that denying soldiers this comfort is cruel. The joke mocks the disconnect between domestic reformers and soldiers' actual needs in wartime. The accompanying cartoon "Why Men Leave Home" contrasts a couple's domestic life before and after marriage—suggesting wives become controlling and demanding (the "nasty tobacco" subplot illustrates this). This reflects period anxiety about women's growing activism and power in shaping public morality through organizations like the WCTU.