Life, 1918-05-09 · page 4 of 40
Life — May 9, 1918 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical advertisement for LIFE magazine subscriptions, using World War I-era imagery to mock **mandatory military conscription**. The illustration depicts an angelic soldier (complete with wings and halo) carrying a sword, appearing to "recruit" readers through force rather than choice. The joke: LIFE presents subscription as "conscription"—mandatory service with no excuses accepted, mirroring actual military draft language of the period. The cherub-soldier enforcer humorously suggests the magazine considers itself patriotic duty. The text acknowledges subscribers abroad at American military rates, placing this during WWI when many American soldiers were stationed overseas. The satire critiques both aggressive subscription tactics and the broader cultural militarization of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ae Ay Y prey SI Compulsory - Life Subscription In view of the absolute necessity for everyone to be cheerful we have decided to increase the already large standing army of LIFE sub- scribers by introducing subscription conscription. The requirements for the LIFE subscriber will be ee enough cash to pay for your sub- sind one Dut: scription (see the atrocious coupon lar (Canadian $1.13, Foreign 31.36)?" Send Eee below) and a mind _ intelligent enough to appreciate the extraor- dinary merits of this paper. Please Subscriptions to Lire 1 : may be sent to American report at once. No excuse will soldiers abroad at Amer. ican rates of postage if ‘. be taken on account of physical addressed to them as mem or mental disability. Special Olter Oven only to new grubs i scriptions renewed at this and other soldiers in the 39 LIFE, 17 West 31st Street, New York. Allied armies, is $6.04. ‘\ One Year, $5.00. ( Canadian, $5. 52 ; Foreign, $6.04. ) Ny comicbookssamm