Life, 1918-10-17 · page 26 of 38
Life — October 17, 1918 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct pieces of content: **"Cutting Around"** is a cautionary tale about reckless driving. It depicts a car speeding around a dangerous curve despite warning signs, resulting in a crash that injures or kills occupants of other vehicles. The narrative emphasizes the consequences of ignoring safety warnings—a timely message during the automobile era when traffic safety was an emerging concern. **"We Mustn't Forget the Babies"** is a fundraising appeal for French war orphans. Written during WWI (references to "German defences" and "defence the French have put up"), it notes that an estimated 150,000 French children were orphaned by the war, with numbers continuing to rise. The piece urges Life's readers to contribute to the Christmas Fund to support these children and their mothers, emphasizing that American readers in a secure country have a moral obligation to help. Photos show named French orphans (Micheline Bugnon, Yvonne Solbes, Juliette Adam) to personalize the appeal. The page reflects early-20th-century concerns: automobile safety and wartime humanitarian aid.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: — Sa “THIS IS THE LIFE, HERE IT IS THE FIRST OF THE MONTH, AN’ NO RENT NOR BILLS NOR NOTHIN’ TO WORRY ABOUT” Cutting Around Place—a bend in a narrow highway. Time—a holiday. AREFULLY driven automobiles passing up and down the road in orderly lines. Sign by the wayside: “Dangerous Curve. Drive Slowly. Keep to the Right.” One car in a tremendous hurry, Driver cuts around the cars ahead at forty miles an hour without looking to see what may be approaching around the bend. A crash. A cloud of dust, spokes, mudguards, splinters of s, spark plugs, gre cups, monkey wrenches. Two cars hopelessly demolished. A woman crushed senseless. A man's arms broken. A girl's face pitifully disfigured. Sign by the wayside: “ Dangerous Curve. Drive Slowly. Keep to the Right.” c AS!" moaned the maiden, “I am getting older.” “Well, my child, what is wrong?” asked the mother. “Everything!” said the girl disgustedly. “I handed ten pennies to a young man clerk this morning, and he stopped to count them,” We Mustn’t Forget the Babies ITH victory in the air and at of important matters dominating our thoughts, we are by way of for- getting those little war orphans in France. But they are there, and every assault on the German defences means that their number is increased. When Lire’s French Baby Fi was started, more than two years ago, it was roughly estimated that there were 150,000 little ones orphaned | the war. So far as we can learn, 1 by any means all of these have be cared for by the several organizatior that have undertaken to help th and their sad but brave mothers. the original number there has been terrible addition from the splendid defence the French have put up against the German drives into their countr To keep these new orphans with their mothers and preser them to be citizens of the new France means more more and more help from those who dwell secure in a cow try that has not felt the invader’s heel. Lirr’s teaders hi responded splendidly, but we have confidence that the limit to their generosity and desire to help has not been reached MICHELINE BUGNON, BABY 3057 THE CHRISTMAS FUND OF 1918 Apparently the Christmas Fund does not make ra progress, but the slowness of contributions is (we hope) more apparent than real. The first appeal has only just reached our readers as this is written, due to the lengtl of time it takes Lire to go through the press. Besides, it is a little bit early to grow very enthusiastic about Christmas In order to arrange for the distribution of gifts from Paris, we have to begin early. Last year we were able to send from our readers a gift costing one dollar to each of the 2,200 children then on the list. This year the number will be YVONNE SOLBES, BABY HER SISTERS JULIETTE ADAM, BABY 2525 comicbooks.com