Life, 1918-07-25 · page 9 of 36
Life — July 25, 1918 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two sections: personal letters from soldiers in WWI France, and a cartoon titled "Too Much Work for Pa." **The Letters:** Tom and Charlie write home about infantry casualties from new German attack methods, submarine warfare, and homesickness. They include personal anecdotes (birthdays, friends) to maintain morale. **The Cartoon:** Shows a man (Pa) surrounded by what appears to be children with their hands raised. The caption "The Coal is In!" suggests rationing or fuel scarcity during wartime. The joke appears to satirize how domestic duties—likely coal delivery and distribution—create overwhelming work for the household's primary adult male, reflecting WWI-era home-front labor pressures and resource management anxieties on the American civilian population.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE Two Letters THE KIND OF LETTER NOT TO WRITE TO FRANCE AR TOM: Mother asked me to write to you at once. She wants you to be particularly careful, as she yes- terday read that there has been a marked increase in the infantry mortality rate, due to the new form of attack be- ing used by the Germans. The German submarines are now operating over here, and to date they've sunk a great many ships. Only the Lord knows what will happen next. Mother gets up early every morning to look over the casualty lists, and she is always dreaming that something has happened to you. You must find it dreadfully lonely over in France. Every night we picture you and your companions in the trenches, lonely and blue and wishing you were back home, and we feel heartily sorry for you. There isn’t any particular news, outside of the fact that we worry every minute you are away; so this will be all for now, Your loving brother, Ciariie. P. S.—Mother wants to know if you can't arrange to be transferred to some branch of the army other than the infantry. THE KIND “HE” LIKES TO GET Dear Tom: You should have heard mother laugh this morning when your letter came! She thinks General Pershing ought to spank all you boys who pick on the little guy who stutters. But pick on him again, and tell mother all about it. She pretends not to like that sort of thing, but you ought to see her eat it up. We miss you like the devil, of course, but we're all darned glad you're where you are—it gives the rest of us a chance to throw out our chests when we call attention to the service flag. Even Spot barks at it occasionally. Last week on your birthday we had a little dinner at home in your honor, Dad insisted that mother should drink a toast to you—with real live beer, too. She hollered about “the bitter old beer,” and wanted to use water, but Dad said to her, “A fine mother you are! Won't take a little beer because it’s hitter, and your son drinking trench water and not complaining Mother then grabbed a tumbler and filled it with beer, spilled some of the foam on the tablecloth, closed her eyes and drank every drop before she spoke this toast: “May my son Tom—God bless his brave heart!—make Uncle Sam proud of him!” And we all cheered ourselves into sore throats. Bill Jackson was married last week—the beer made me think of Bill’s big hay window. And old Bob Hart, the drayman, asked for you yesterday, and wants me to ask you if you remember the time he caught you trying to steal his whip—for smoking purposes, I suppose. You haven't ended the war yet, so you won't get another letter till to-morrow. Everybody is well and happy. E Why don't you invite General Foch to dinner with you some day? I'd like to have you swipe me one of his medals for a souvenir, Cnartir. EX-CHIEF THUNDERCLOUD, HAVING TAKEN A PRISONER, RESORTS TO MIS OWN METHODS Too Much Work for Pa “\YJHY does that young man stay so late?” “I don't know, pa “Well, you will save me a lot of trouble if, the next time you have a caller, you get a self-starter.” “THE COAL 1s IN!”