Life, 1919-01-23 · page 8 of 42
Life — January 23, 1919 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces: **Top illustration**: A street scene showing a woman greeting a returning soldier. The caption indicates she's praising his strength and growth, then asking why his hands aren't shakier—referencing that before the war, he would have been "thoroughly exhausted" by manual labor. This satirizes how wartime service supposedly built men's physical resilience compared to peacetime civilian life. **"Milly" story**: A domestic narrative about a soldier's homecoming. His mother expects him, he arrives tired from France, and they discuss his condition. The text notes he's now a "meek, subdued husband of a rampant suffragette," suggesting post-war anxieties about changing gender dynamics and women's increasing social power (likely referencing the suffrage movement). Both pieces reflect WWI-era social concerns about masculinity, war's effects, and women's roles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
iy HI Nt hth << HOW WONDERFUL AND STRONG YOU HAVE ckOWN ! She * NoTICE IT, bo You?” “ON, DEAR, YES. wity, IF YOU | HEEN THOROUGHLY ENILAUSTED.” Milly IX hours before his folks expected him he was there on the steps of his home. He opened the door quietly and went in. His aged father rose from his chair as the boy entered. His sister ran in from another room. They clung to him unrestrainedly. Then he went hack to the kitchen, where his mother was preparing for his home-coming \fter that first greeting he down, while they gathered about him, and he told about and showed his wound and his cross. But the She looked at sat rance mother's eye was keen. the boy searchingly “TL guess Milly would like to see you. son,” she said “Yes, mother; maybe she would.” He got up slowly Milly's at hh stammered, blushing. and all right?" he maybe I'd better go ¢ her.” “TL reckon she'll be glad to see you, over there and se son He kissed his mother awkwardly, then strolled out of the door in the old. familiar direction His mother shook her head solemnly “He can't fool me,” she whispered : “that boy saw Milly before he came here.” Tampering with Nature OUNG Hopeful, who lives in the suburbs, was very much interested in the adjustment of the time, and on the morning when the clocks had been set back an hour awoke his mother. “Mother, mother,” he called from his little bed, “listen to Mrs. Jones’ chickens! They must have forgotten to tell them to set their crow back.” jill P SIAKEN HANDS LIKE THAT REFORE THEE WAR YOU WOULD HAVE No’ : He is the meek, subdued hus- hand of a Then: As of him, “ He's so good about taking his medic’ rampant suffragette. child they always said “JOuN MENKy! THAT BLACK EVE?” “1 MISTOOK \ LADY FoR you, WHERE DID Vou GET Deak.”