Life, 1918-08-15 · page 35 of 36
Life — August 15, 1918 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a political commentary and wartime public service advertisement rather than a traditional cartoon. **"Rise of the Martinet?" section** critiques Senator Lawrence Sherman of Illinois, who complained to the Senate about allegedly rude railroad ticket employees. The piece sarcastically questions whether government control during wartime mobilization will introduce harsh, rigid bureaucratic behavior ("martinet" = strict disciplinarian) into transportation services. **"Holding Up the Nation's Defense"** is a telephone company advertisement masquerading as civic responsibility messaging. It argues that telephone service is vital to war mobilization but requires public cooperation—users must speak clearly, answer promptly, and hang up quickly. The ad emphasizes that poor service results from users' inattention, not company failure, subtly shifting responsibility from AT&T to individual subscribers. The historical context: This appears from WWI-era, when government took control of railroads and telephone systems for war purposes. The pieces defend these services against criticism while subtly promoting corporate interests.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
S MIGHT HAVE HELPED HIM Pos Rise of the Martinet? © government martinet soon go- to he added to the horrors of ay travel under gove utrol? Senator Lawrence man of Ilinois appears to think so. and recently related in the Senate his ice in buying a railroad ticket the employee. exper which government who was courteously approached by the senator, was insolent | do not want to repeat that e+ perience if T can help it,” added the nator, “but the fact is the insolence ne of these small martinets who “The One That Won't Bi buckles, hooks or adjust ilk finish and lisle, in urge, sizes r and a pair will be sent post FOS. TAYLOR CO,, Dept. L, Bridge BELL- | ANS. bsolutely Removes ndigestion. One package oves it. 25c at all druggists. “MADE AT KEY WEST=— Holding Up the Nation’s Defense The telephone played a tremendous part in this Nation's mobilization for war. It con- tinues vital to the Government's program. At the same time it has remained at the service of the whole people whose de- mands upon it grow apace with that of the Government. The public is entitled to the best service that it is possible to render. But the public has a partnership in the responsibility for good telephone service. It takes three to make any telephone connection: the person calling, the com- pany, and the person called. Without the co-operation of all three the service suffers. The telephone company can make the connection, but no words can be heard at one end of the line which are not properly spoken into the transmitter at the other. The relation between the speaker and the hearer is the same as the relation between the orator and his audience. It cannot be maintained if the orator turns his back to the listeners or if the audience is inattentive. Telephone traffic must be kept moving. Speak distinctly—answer promptly—and release the line as quickly as possible. Don’t continue reading when the bell rings. These seem little things to ask the indi- vidual telephone subscriber, but when the individual is multiplied by millionsell over this country, it is easy to see how impor- tant it is that all should co-operate. AMERICAN TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY AND ASSOCIATED COMPANIES One System One Policy sit at the head of bureaus is trans- mitted to the railway service.” If courteous methods which have in recent years become more or less prevalent among railroad ticket agents and other employces, just because they are now government officials, are now allowed to lapse, it would not a pity but a paradox. For it w McAdoo himself who originated the phrase, “ The public be pleased,” as a humanitarian improvement on Mr. Vanderbilt's “ The public be damned.” Universal Service LIFE’S Aeroplane Picture Contest Full report of this Contest, with winning titles, and names and addresses of winners, appeared in the July 18th issue of LIF Copy of that number will be sent to any ad- dress on receipt of ten cents. (Canadian, 11 cents; Foreign, 12 cents) After October 18th this number will be twenty- five cents. (Canadian, 2 cents: Foreign, 27 cents) LIFE 17 West 31st Street, New York BACK NUMBERS ON SALE AT THIS OFFICE comicbooks.com