Life, 1918-08-29 · page 31 of 34
Life — August 29, 1918 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **Left side—"The Follies of 1861"**: Six circular vignettes depicting domestic scenes with couples debating trivial matters (cigars, jewelry, expense). The satire mocks petty marital squabbles during the Civil War era, suggesting Americans fiddled over minor domestic concerns while the nation faced existential conflict. **Bottom section—"Rules for a Bolshevik Municipal Theatre"**: This satirizes Soviet revolutionary governance by outlining absurd democratic voting procedures for theater production. The joke: strict egalitarian voting creates paralyzing deadlock—each playwright votes only for themselves, actors vote for themselves, audiences demand refunds—rendering the system unworkable. It mocks both Bolshevik ideology and bureaucratic inefficiency. **Right side**: Advertisement for *The Diary of a Nation*, war editorials by Edward S. Martin, published by Doubleday, Page & Co., priced at $1.50. The overall page suggests Life's satirical critique of both domestic frivolousness during wartime and revolutionary communist governmental failures.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
12 cents) | this y-five 7 cents) York | convinced thal a “Phrow away that horrid cigar come a Honey Pelle has any ee nell quote whal | boon swindled in the past! the surprise T have ve ‘you louact as tho theyre explos’ ‘deat wits, bar 1 would reality they have. the lo wh rather buy my owncigars;” gold bands,and only seven for 25 ro af 3 fe ter i: "Bes hubby dear, seven for a quarter SER Meo cheep for thie IS cheap aa you aay, but | thought there Harpers Ferry Shrapre!! must beat least ONE good one in seven! THE FOLLIES OF 1861 Rules for a Bolshevik Municipal Theatre The proletariat shall elect by popular vote the staff of playwrights, the actors, stage- hands, attendants, ete. 2. The playwrights shall read their productions and ballot, the play receiving the largest number of votes to be produced. The duly elected actors shall ballot among themselves to select a leading man, a lead- ing woman, ete. The audience, after witnessing the play, shall ballot to see whether it is worth the adm-ssion price. If not, money is to be refunded. Note: Although inaugurated several months ago, the feasibility of this plan has not yet been tested. It seems that deadlocks in the voting exist, each playwright voting persistently for his own offering, with the result that one vote is cast for cach play and none receives a ajority, Also, each actor votes for himself or herself for the leading masculine or feminine tole, as the case may be. The proletariat is becoming impatient, and a recall election is being spoken of freely on the streets. * The Diary of a Nation War Editorials from LIFE By Edward S. Martin What the Reviewers Say About It From the San Francisco Chronicle: These papers are all very informal. They make no pretense at cov- ering the whole diplo- matic field, and yet they are far more valuable asa history of America’s reac- tions to the European war than any other record which has thus far come under review. They are the main facts plus an in- telligent and most inter- esting interpretation. Published by Doubleday, Page & Co., New York Any Book Store, $1.50 comicbooks.com