Life, 1918-09-12 · page 13 of 34
Life — September 12, 1918 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon titled "Opening of the Coon Hollow District School" depicts a classroom scene with animal characters (appearing to be rabbits or similar creatures) seated at desks. A teacher stands at a podium with a "Food Don't Waste" poster visible—referencing wartime rationing. The satire criticizes the Cohens outrunning the Smiths in population growth and economic success, as explained in the accompanying article "Attention, All Smiths!" The text warns that Smiths are being demographically displaced and must "get busy." The cartoon uses the school setting to visualize this ethnic/demographic anxiety during what appears to be a World War I-era publication, employing period racial caricature conventions common to *Life* magazine's satirical approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
DONT WASTE | | | OPENING OF THE COON HOLLOW DISTRICT SCHOOL Teacher: poks ANYONE KNOW WHERE THE ROOKS AKE? Attention, All Smiths! What's the use of war if the winning Conclusive , ! si : of it means only that the world is to ms : RE the Cohens outrunning the je made safe for the Cohens? HAT makes you think U Smiths? While, taking the ure is unconstitutiona “Well, I have submitted it to four country as a whole, there has been a healthy increase PERMANENT wave—The Stars lawyers, and they are unanimous that in the number of Smiths, and Strip it appears, from the city directories, that the Cohens are he- ginning to for ad. The Smiths must get busy. 7 future existence is threatened. It is true that, so far as mere prominence is concerned, a Smith has heen running in the primaries for governor of New York, but almost at the same time he was nominated sixteen Cohens were drowned in one day at Coney Island, and it didn't make a ripple. The Cohens are coming on s fast that sixteen of them are not even missed. We know what the Austra rabbit did to Australia, If the Cohens get a firm grip on this continent, what will they do to the United States? The Smiths have a great responsibility When the country first started there was only one Smith and no Cohens. Now the Cohens are forging ahead of the Smiths, and will soon have them backed off the map, unless the Smiths “WHY DON'T YE STAND UP, FATHER? DON'T VE IIEAR ME PLAYIN’ ‘THE realize what they are up against. STAR-SPANGLED BANNER '?” comicbooks.com