Life, 1919-01-02 · page 14 of 34
Life — January 2, 1919 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page critiques the **United Daughters of the Confederacy** for attacking *Life* magazine's editorial opposing a proposed Civil War monument to Jefferson Davis in Kentucky. The article defends *Life*'s position as polite criticism, not insult. It then satirizes the Daughters' organization itself—praising their "excellent character and high social standing" while mocking their actual arguments about the Civil War. The illustration shows a woman (representing the Daughters) confronting a man, likely depicting the organization's angry response to the magazine's editorial challenge. The article's tone is patronizing: it acknowledges the Daughters' social prominence but dismisses their historical revisionism, particularly their defense of slavery and characterization of enslaved people as "enforced peasantry" rather than slaves—revealing contemporary Lost Cause mythology.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
14 The Daughters Slam Us HERE through the kind offices of a clip- ping agency, an item credited to the Houston (Texas) Chronicle of No- vember toth, to wit has come to our notice, Chapter, United Confederacy, at dopted resol Jefferson Davis Danghters of the their last meeting ons condemning the article that appeared in Lire, October 3, entitled “A Monument to the Civil War.” The resolutions set unmistak able terms the disapproval of the Irne forth in article, as an insult to every At the same time the pter gave a rising vote of thanks for editorial Live's articl Southerner. Cha to The answerit Chronicle its The article thus disapproved was not it to anybody, It was a polite and did no more than express an inst articl surprise that a monument of concrete, to be three hundred and fifty-one feet high, that is in proc of ertetion near the south line of Kentucky, should be Jefferson Davis, rather monument to the Civil a memorial of than merely War. But Confederacy Daughters of the have cursed out Lire heartily, Lars is willing to speak a few candid the Daughters. Sad to say, it was heard for some years past that they constitute an organization of very doubtful value to the South That is because of the excellent char- acter and high social standing of its members; of their power to shape the minds of the children from whom the future leadership of the South will come, and because in keeping alive the memory of the Civil War—a thing nat- ural and proper in itseli—they mis- represent or wrongly emphasize the facts about it. A lady in one of the Carolinas made bitter remonstrance some years ago to the suggestion casually let fall in Lire, the cause of the Civil War w he Daughters do not like the idea that it was a defense of slavery that got the South into the war. They prefer the suggestion that the South rose against an invasion from the North, prompted very much by busi- ness re: and which made of slav- ery an excuse. A Daughter wrote the other day that the South fought for self-determina- tion, the same principle in support of since these words about sons AU REVOIK, CHERIE, WHEN MINUTE YE ARRIVE EN 1 TOUT DE SUrTE.” THE MARIE MERIQU? which our armies lately went to France As for the Southern hefore the war. this lady said of them: “ They negroes were an enforced peasantry, and it is absurd to call them hitterly ‘slave: term they would have resented in the old days now happily That is a fair example of how the minds of the Daughters work, so far as we have evidence of it. It bad that that sort of leaven should be distributed in the Southern It is true in a way that the South fought for self-determination, but the Civil War is a useful example of the kind of self-determination that won't wash ahd is impracticable in the rearrangement of the world now im- pending. assed.” is too valuable dough. 1 GATHER IN BEAUCOUP I'LL SEND FOR YE, AN’ WE'LL BEAT IT TO THE PADRE: AN? BE The Daughters are admirable women, They are usually polite in remonstrance beyond what one would expect. But we believe they are wrong-headed about the causes and issues of the Civil War, and ill advised in the lessons they teach to the young South about it, and that, if true, xreat pity. ESM. What She Did ILLIS: What do you think of women in men’s industries? Gutis: Very unsatisfactory. Why, the woman motorman on the car I came down on this morning insisted on backing it up a full block so that she could get a better look at the new hat the woman traffic-cop was wearing.