Life, 1918-07-04 · page 11 of 36
Life — July 4, 1918 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon:** The large sketch shows a crowded charity bazaar with a booth advertising "KISS FOR CHARITY / ONLY 60¢" The caption reads "SEE HERE, JOHN HENRY! CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME!"—suggesting a woman is chastising a man for participating in or considering a paid kiss booth. The satire mocks wartime charity fundraising tactics and gender dynamics: women using flirtation as a fundraising tool while men are criticized for indulgence, even for charitable purposes. **Lower Section:** "Notes on Poverty (By a Householder)" is a humorous first-person account of domestic wartime hardships—worn blankets, old rugs, threadbare towels, and makeshift repairs. The accompanying small illustrations satirize the contrast between upper-class pretensions and actual poverty during what appears to be WWI.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Notes on Poverty (By a Householder) I" was a glorious sight to see my favorite blankets go off to the Red Cross yesterday morning. Fortunately, I still have an old rug left. It is rather stiff in certain areas, and last night in my sleep I inadvertently put my foot through one of its holes. But it really isn’t so bad. Our towel is holding up bravely. If it could speak I feel that it would say: “ This is a long war, but you can count on me to the bitter end.” I've made a discov This after- noon, looking through the stable for buttons, I happened to see our old limousine—the one that nobody would buy. I took off the paper cover, stole in, and sank back among the cushions and read my favorite hook. Cosy, quiet, secluded! What could be better? "“LIPE* AT THE CHARITY BAZAAR Little you thought, O limousine, to what exalted spiritual and cultural uses the world would bring you. I’ve come at last to wear my frock coat—the one with the wide silk braid —to business. It gives a sort of be- nevolent and ecclesiastical air to my office. My colored ties are still holding out rather well, but if that frock coat outlasts them all and I have to wear a white tie, I shall then be a genuine evangelist. Last evening, after a family confer- ence, we decided that my wife should cut my hair. Having so little of it left, its care has for some time been a matter of pride and deep solicitude with me; but we must win the war, no matter at what personal cost. I must say that my wife did it very well, and, aside from one rather noticeable ridge extending from my left ear in a south- westerly direction, nobody would know that it wasn’t done by an expert. The hidden talents that woman has de- veloped are certainly remarkable! SEE HERE, JOHN HENRY! CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME!” I've been studying light plumbing with a view to doing some necessary repairs to our kitchen sink. I hope soon to be able to know enough to stop that trickling faucet. T. LM. ANOTHER SCRAP OF PAPER