Life, 1920-02-26 · page 10 of 40
Life — February 26, 1920 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early 20th-century political and social attitudes through several pieces: **"The Perfect Candidate"** mocks newspaper descriptions of an ideal politician—someone embodying virtues of Lincoln and Washington while maintaining conveniently contradictory positions (loving France but hating Germans moderately, supporting tariffs for Pittsburgh but not Red Oak, Iowa). The satire targets how newspapers construct impossible political figures. **"Overworked Profanity"** jokes about British novels and stage performances overusing mild curses, predicting this trend will reach America. **"Her Condition"** depicts a woman demanding her fiancé remain ignorant of politics and current events as a marriage condition. This satirizes both women's exclusion from political life and the era's expectation that wives remain apolitical. The illustrations support these critiques of political hypocrisy and gender norms.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE- The Perfect Candidate (Your Impression After Reading the Newspapers) H * has characteristics of Lincoln, Washington, Grant, Patri Henry, Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin and Davy Crockett. He admires and respects the English for their virtues, but is aware of their vices; he loves France, but not im- moderately; hates Prussianism, but gives the German credit their good points; is for a tariff high en for Pittsburgh and low cnough for Red Oak, lowa. He never has offended either capital or labor: has been for women’s suffrage at least since it became inevitable; has never publicly committed himself on Prohibition: is for national economy, but gives the impression of knowing how to spend if ne sary; is for the League of Nations with amend- ments, which he has been careful never to commit to word Overworked Profanity [™ itl soon be in order for some of our most poplar forms of profanity to strike for shorter hours. We look for this reform to come from England, where the damns and hells have been doing such noble work in the most popular novels. Think of a damn and a hell not only being almost constantly in the mouth of some noted cha acter of fiction, but having also to appear nightly on the stage, not to speak of Wednesday and Saturday matinees ORWARDLOOKER: = The Senate has a plan to settle labor disputes. Cyxic: Tf labor would devise a plan for settling Senate disputes, we might have peace VHP YOU PELLERSLL CLEAN OFF THE SNOW FROM OUK STers, ULL LPT YER PEEL ME MUSCLE” Her Condition HEE, | love x00 ue: Be seated. Are’ you miliar with the latest provisions of the income-tax law? He: Why—er—darling, I Sue: Have you looked up the local, state and national candidates for clec- tion? He I'm afraid that Sue: Give mea brief summary of the Constitution of the United States md) Washington's farewell address, and repeat the words of “The Star- Spangled Banner.” He: 1 cannot: | Sur: Do you know anything about al, state or national politics? He: Not a thing Sur: Then I will marry you, on one condition. He: And that is—? Sue: That you never learn about these things. IT am compelled to do so. in order to take my place in the ranks « of women voters. But one member of SURELY THERE SHOULD BE SOME WAY OF REDUCING THE NUMBER OF * PEDRSTRIANS. our family who knows about them will “1 PANCY THEY'RE SENT AS A CROSS FOR Us TO BEAR.” he enough, comicbooks.com