Life, 1919-02-06 · page 7 of 38
Life — February 6, 1919 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine features a poem titled "Visiting" by Juliet Wilbor Tompkins, accompanied by a sketch captioned "WHEN IT COMES HER TURN." The poem humorously describes a weekend trip to "the ancient family farm," contrasting initial excitement with the reality of rustic labor (axes, stumps, creaking pumps) and the desire to return home. The illustration depicts seven military figures in WWI-era uniforms standing in a line. The presence of what appears to be a female soldier among male soldiers—combined with the poem's title "WHEN IT COMES HER TURN"—suggests this is satirizing women's military service or conscription during World War I. The cartoon likely comments on women's reluctant participation in wartime duties, echoing the poem's theme of initial enthusiasm followed by homesickness.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
H, you pack and start with a lightsome heart For a week-end out of town, For you need some sport on the links and court, And your muscle’s running down; And the sport's all right, but you dance all night, And the cards don’t run your way, \nd you take more drink than you really think, And you play and play and play! And you like the sporting spirit, but, From Kalamazoo to Nome, You say to your wife when the door is shut, “Gad, I wish we were home!” Visiting Oh, you pack your grip for a Sunday trip To the ancient family farm, With the ax and stump and the creaking pump And the simple country charm; And you breathe the air, and you wisely stare At the calf and colt and kit, And you cat more food than is wholly good, And you sit--and sit—and sit! And you love the dear old people, but, From Kalamazoo to Nome, You say to your wife when the door is shut, “Gad, I wish we were home!” Juliet Wilbor Tompkins. WHEN 1T COMES HER TURN comicbooks.com