Life, 1918-07-18 · page 4 of 36
Life — July 18, 1918 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a wartime recruitment advertisement, not political satire. The illustration depicts Liberty (the allegorical female figure, identifiable by her classical drapery) carrying a wounded soldier, with military personnel in the background. The text announces an urgent call for 25,000 volunteer nurses, aged 18-35, to serve in World War I. Registration began July 20, 1918, with assignments starting April 1, 1919, at civilian hospitals or the Army Nursing School. The appeal emphasizes patriotic duty: "Here is the opportunity for every free woman in America to do her country an incalculable service." This reflects the massive medical demands of late-stage WWI, when casualty care required unprecedented numbers of trained nurses. The call represents both genuine wartime need and gendered expectations of women's contribution to the war effort.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Copr. Life Pub. Co. Nurses Wanted The Surgeon-General of the United States Army, the Surgeon-General of the United States Public Health Servi the American Red Cross, the General Medical Board and the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense therefore unite in an earnest appeal for 25,000 young women between the ages of nineteen and thirty-five to enroll in what shall Enclosed he called the United States Student Nurse Reserve, The enrollment find one Dol- legin on July 29, 1918. Those who register in this volunteer body (Canadian Hach . ei a a Foreign in readiness until Apri! 1, 1919, to be assigned $1.20)? "send Live itals or to the Army Nursing School for three months to and begin thei se of ya tudent nursing. For enrollment and information a $ Sta ion of the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense, te Councils Section, Council of National Defense, Washington, D. C. Here is the opportunity for every free woman in America to do her country an inestimable service and put herself in the front rank of the great army of America’s women. We are publishing this Open only to new subscribers; no notice in advance in order to give you time to think subscriptions renewed at this Tate. ‘. it over, and make your arrangements to respond LIFE, 17 West 31st Street, New York. 50. to this urgent call. One Year, $5.00. (Canadian, $5.52; Foreign, $6.04.) Re Next Week's Life—" My Daddy's Over There”