Life, 1918-10-24 · page 26 of 34
Life — October 24, 1918 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces about wartime sacrifice during World War I. **"Always be Cheerful"** depicts a domestic argument where a wife insists on maintaining cheerfulness despite real hardships. The husband mentions coal shortages, Liberty Bonds (war loans), and war news—all genuine wartime concerns—but the wife refuses to discuss anything "disagreeable." The joke's bitter irony: they've sacrificed their car, sold excess clothing, and invested in bonds, yet must pretend everything is fine. The punchline—she's too busy reviewing their joint income tax—suggests the actual stress undermining her forced optimism. **"Fit" (bottom right)** is a brief joke about an extravagant, irresponsible woman. One man jokes she should "run for Congress," implying women in politics are similarly frivolous. This reflects pre-19th Amendment attitudes dismissing women's political capability. The page's subtitle mocks patriotic friends who make financial sacrifices then arrive late to dinner—suggesting performative patriotism masking selfishness. The satire targets both wartime discomfort and the social pressure to maintain false cheer.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
colt HINTS TO HOSTESSES DO NOT FEEL PIQUED AT PATRIOTIC FRIENDS WHO, HAVING DISPOSED OF THEIR AUTOMOBILE AND EXCESS CLOTHING AND INVESTED ALL THEIR FUNDS Always be Cheerful Scene: An apartment “ built for two.” The dinner is laid for the evening meal, the wife having just made the final touches. The husband, entering, greets her in the familiar manner. H : Doesn't it scem very chilly here? Brr! Sue: Please don’t mention that sub- GS Jects dear. You know what you are when =y you get started on coal. Of course, we cannot help the shortage, and I think that you ought to be patriotic enough and strong enough to put aside all those disagreeable things. He: Oh, well, I don’t mind. As long as you want to be patriotic, how about those new Liberty Bonds? I suppose we ought to be doing something about them—— Sue: There you go! Of course we must do something about them, but why harp incessantly on them? Above all things, we must try and be cheerful. He (after a pause): I see by the paper that Lloyd George— Sue: Now, if you are going to discuss the war. dear, you may count me out. You can't imagine how trying it is IBERTY BONDS, ARE LATE TO DIN} for‘me to listen. And especially when I am trying my best to keep up. Can't you avoid subjects that cast a gloom over one? He: Look here! I'm doing the best I can. 1 want to be natural. What am I to do—submit a list of subjects to you first? Sue: There, now don't be disagreeable. But I do think we ought to be cheerful, and think only of cheerful things. We ought to smile and be gay, and not be harping on those things that we cannot help. He: Well, in that case, if you insist upon it, there's only one thing we can do. We cannot sit home and glare at one another. We must go out somewhere. I am sure to touch on something you don't like. Oh, we can’t do that. n't go out and spend the evening? Why not? Because, my dear, this is the evening I have set apart to go over our joint Income Tax Fit ARKE: I can’t make up my mind what to do with that girl of mine. She is very extravagant, talks like a streak, and is almost wholly irresponsible. Lane: Why not let her run for Congress? comicbooks.com