Life, 1918-04-11 · page 40 of 44
Life — April 11, 1918 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is informational propaganda, not satire. It promotes the Third Liberty Loan—a U.S. government bond drive during World War I (likely 1918). The "Honor Flag" shown is an incentive: towns exceeding their bond-sales quotas earned the right to display it publicly, with their names inscribed on state and national honor rolls. The mechanism leverages civic pride and social pressure—communities competed to meet quotas, knowing success brought visible recognition. Individual bond purchasers received window cards displaying their names alongside the flag, encouraging public displays of patriotic support. This represents how the U.S. Treasury Department mobilized civilian participation in war financing through competitive honor systems rather than mandatory taxation. Modern readers should recognize this as sophisticated wartime propaganda using peer pressure and community recognition as motivational tools.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HONOR FLAG OF THE THIRD LIBERTY LOAN AWARDED BY THE UNITED STATES TREASURY DEPARTMENT TO EVERY TOWN SUBSCRIBING ITS QUOTA The Honor Flag of the Third Liberty Loan is awarded by the United States Treasury Department to every town in the country which sells more than its quota of Liberty Bonds in the present campaign. Every town which wins the right to fly this Flag will have its name inscribed on the State Honor Roll under a State Honor Flag to be unfurled at the State capital. The results-in each state will be indicated on a national Honor Flag which will be raised in the Treasury Department in Washington and remain there permanently. When you buy a Third Liberty Loan Bond you will receive a window card bearing your name and a reproduction of the Honor Flag. Paste this card in a window of your home or place of business. Published by arrangement with the United States Treasury Department