Life, 1908-09-24 · page 17 of 24
Life — September 24, 1908 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1910s *Life* magazine page contains two distinct commentaries on military service and masculinity. **"In the Mirror Maze"** shows a soldier confused about his own identity, captioning the satirical problem: if he deserted the army, he wouldn't know which version of himself to escape as. The accompanying text suggests desertion carries severe legal and social consequences—loss of pay, uniform, and citizenship rights—yet poses an ironic question: if desertion from one's wife results in freedom from family support, why do more men marry than enlist? **"The Wrestling Match"** below depicts a baby and teddy bear in eight sequential panels showing playful combat, likely contrasting innocent childhood wrestling with adult military conflict or masculine competition. The page's overall message appears to satirize American men's reluctance to serve in the military, suggesting they avoid it despite the equally burdensome obligations of marriage and family support.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
IN THE MIRROR MAZE “1p 1 KNEW WHICH WAS ME 1’D WALK out’? You Never Can Tell ship and locked up in jail for a term of his time as he likes in any other State I aman deserts from the army, his pay years. He has done a disgraceful thing. in the Union and no one knows the dif- stops, his uniform is taken away If’a man deserts his wife and family ference or cares. Is that why so many from him, he is deprived of his citizen- he is relieved of their support, can spend — more men marry than join the army? pune ® THE WRESTLING MATCH comicbooks.com