Life, 1917-12-27 · page 35 of 41
Life — December 27, 1917 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **subscription drive**, not a political cartoon. Life magazine uses the New Year season to recruit subscribers by framing magazine readership as a moral obligation. The page argues that during this "period of the world's history" (likely WWI era, given reference to "soldiers you know at the front"), promoting cheerfulness is a civic duty. The logic: spirit determines success; Life magazine spreads cheerfulness; therefore subscribing—and gifting subscriptions to soldiers and friends—is patriotic duty disguised as gift-giving. The decorative border and classical figures labeled "Cheerfulness Forever!" provide ornamental appeal. The actual "impulse" readers should obey is commercial: purchase multiple subscriptions as New Year gifts. **Modern parallel**: This resembles contemporary feel-good marketing that frames consumption as solving social problems—here, wartime morale.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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