Life, 1904-11-03 · page 14 of 40
Life — November 3, 1904 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), showing two soldiers locked in brutal combat with the caption "Will They Clear It?" The accompanying text sarcastically praises war as providing "true glory" for common people who lack talent for writing or politics—a biting critique of romanticizing warfare. The satire attacks the hypocrisy of statesmen who won't abolish war because it would make "fame cheap and common," and mocks the notion that religious principle is necessary for good fighting. Below, a faux job listing satirizes military incompetence: it requests a soldier and his wife to milk a cow, with queries questioning what military training possibly qualifies officers for pastoral labor. The final section discusses McKinley Democrats considering voting for Parker (likely Parker in the 1904 election), criticized for passive resignation rather than engaged political action—another target of Life's satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WILL THEY CLEAR 1T? War. ‘A Russian and a Japanese were found locked in, the embrace of death, where each had fallen by the other's hand, ‘The teeth of the Japanese were sunk in the Russian’s throat, while the Russian had forced two of his fingers into the eye-sockets of his antagonist.—News from the Front, julee et decorum est. For the millions who have neither the brains to write novels, nor the money to get into politics, war opens the only way to true glory. But for war, these two men would, no doubt, be frittering away their lives in mere industry, in some dull vale or village. Statesmen who are already famous will not look well abol- ishing war. It will inevitably be said that they do so in order to keep the plain people from butting in and making fame cheap and common. . By the by, the old notion that only followers of the Prince of Peace can put up a really good fight may now be deemed thoroughly exploded. It had its origin in the vanity of our pious ancestors and could not stand the test of experience. ut Tae South seems divided as to the negro problem, “Yes, the whites want to solve it by subtraction, and the blacks by multiplication.” Information Wanted. WANTED—A SOLDIER AND WIFE who have lived with of- ficers to milk one cow and be generally useful on a small suburban jlacein Baltimore. Good home and wages, Address C ,care A. and N. Journal,—From “Army and Navy Fournal,” of date Oct. 8, 1904. UERIES: 1. What breed is this ‘* Cow,” that it requires a bold U.S. ‘Soldier and his wife to milk it’’? 2. Is the milking done simultaneously, or does the wife merely relieve the soldier when he is exhausted ? 3. What is just the result of ‘having lived with of- ficers'’? Does the General Staff now make its educational process so comprehensive, that it qualifies officers in things pastoral, so that they are able to turn out soldiers warranted to manage strange cows that require a ‘soldier and his wife to milk them ’’? M** McKinley Democrats propose to vote for Parker because they can find no sufficient reason why a Democrat should vote against him. Their feeling is that they will do their duty and leave the issue to Providence. But elections are not won by men who are content to leave anything to Providence that they can help. There seems to be overmuch Democratic resignation making for use in case of Parker’s defeat. Dubious McKinley Demo- crats promise to contribute some of it, and the Bryanites and the Hearst people are accumulating a large supply. comicbooks.com