Life, 1918-07-11 · page 20 of 34
Life — July 11, 1918 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Fore and Aft" (top left):** A humorous sketch by Lee Conrey showing slapstick physical comedy—two figures engaged in exaggerated action, likely meant as visual contrast to the text. **"The Mystic '3'" (center-left):** A satirical list of things that come in threes, mixing serious and trivial observations. Notably, it references World War I: three reasons Germany must be defeated are "the Kaiser, the Crown Prince and von Hindenburg (with Tirpitz as a close fourth)"—identifying Germany's military leadership as enemies the U.S. must defeat. **Recruitment poster (top right):** A woman reads a "500 Men Wanted for U.S. Marine Corps" enlistment poster, captioned "And All I Want Is One"—wartime satire about women's romantic priorities during military recruitment. **"Little Red Riding Hood" parody (bottom):** A modernized fairy tale where the wolf hesitates to eat Red Riding Hood because it's "meatless day" (WWI food rationing), choosing fish instead. This mocks civilian wartime sacrifice and rationing measures through absurdist humor. The page satirizes American WWI-era concerns: military leadership, recruitment, and home-front rationing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ FORE AND AFT” The Mystic “3” HE number three has a deep significance in modern life, There are three traps awaiting every man: love, court- ship and marriage. Three ways of getting rich: making laws, breaking laws, and ignoring them, Three ways of traveling uncomfortably in New Yor the subway, the clevated and the surface cars. Three causes of unhappy marriages: your mother-in-law, your wife and your wife’s mother-in-law. Three sure ways of getting rid of money: breakfast, dinner and supper. Three buckwheat cakes always cooking in the restaurant windows. Three reasons why Germany must be beaten: the Kaiser, the Crown Prince and von Hindenburg (with Tirpitz as a close fourth). Three reasons why she is going to be beaten: the army, the navy and the marines, “PLEASE CU EASY ON THE ARE ROCKING THE BOAT” CHEWING GUM, MISS HIPPO, you “AND ALL 1 WANT IS ONE” If “Little Red Riding Hood” Were to Be Staged To-day L by the strange appearance of her supposed grand- TLE Red Riding Hood's curiosity had been aroused mother, “Why are your teeth so sharp?” she asked carelessly. At this juncture the wolf, who had been posing as grand- ma, smiled widely. “ The better to eat you with, my dear,” he replied, preparing to pounce on Little Red Riding Hood and eat her all up. “But,” objected Lite Red Riding Hood innocently, “this is meatless day, and if you eat meat you are apt to be lynched.” “Good gracious!” exclaimed the wolf in horror. “I had almost forgotten!) Thank you so much for reminding me!” So saying, he removed his disguise, left the house quietly, and lunched on fish, T used to he considered superstitious to “knock wood,” Lut now it is very democratic.