Life, 1918-11-14 · page 11 of 34
Life — November 14, 1918 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a satirical dialogue between a teacher and pupils about women's suffrage and patriotism during wartime. The teacher presents simplified arguments for why women should abandon voting rights and focus on "patriotic service" instead—framing suffrage as a "weakened" privilege women shouldn't claim while the country needs them for other duties. The cartoon "Back From the Front" (lower left) depicts a woman in an evening gown viewing a photograph, likely contrasting frivolous civilian life with war's sacrifices. "Give Till It Hurts" (lower right) shows children playing roughly, suggesting the need for sacrifice. The satire mocks attempts to suppress women's suffrage activism by reframing it as unpatriotic during wartime—a rhetorical strategy used to discourage women's rights advocacy when national survival seemed paramount.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: Words “AJOW, pupils.” said the teacher (he was a man), “the first class in English will come for- ward. Our exercise this morning will consist of reducing a sentence to its simplest proportions, but in. order to save time, I will read the followin; “*Women whose emotional pre- dilections, owing, possibly, to arti- ficial mental conditions, are in- clined to suffragism, should abrogate such privileges as a weakened state of the country might give them, and, tem- orarily forgetting themselves, render such physical and mental service to their country in time of need as is possible for them under the present urgent need.” “Please make this sentence contain the same idea, but put it in simpler form.” Later the first pupil rose slowly and read the following : “Women whose emotions incline them to want the vote, owing to the fact that their mental condition is not normal, should remember that their country needs them now for other things; should forget themselves and do as much patriotic service as is possible for them to do.” Can anyone improve on that?” The second pupil rose and read: “Women who haven't been leading the right kind of lives, and who have allowed their emotions to get the best BACK FROM THE FRONT CONDUCT UNBECOMING A GERMAN OFFICER of them, should give up trying to get the vote for their country.” “Pretty good,” smiled the teacher we are getting warm. Can 1 work “It seems to me that ‘one improve on that?” But at last a small, awkward-looking boy in the corner rose slowly and pa fully. He looked bored, “Do you think you can improve on the examples already given asked the teacher. The boy shook his head. “Then why did you get up?” “Well, sir, I'm so tired of hearing all these things read that I just wanted to to work.’ Couldn't somebody put that into fi There was a considerable silence. hut also somewhat ill at ease ay, ‘Women, quit fooling GIVE TILL 1T HURTS comicbooks.com