Life, 1908-12-10 · page 7 of 24
Life — December 10, 1908 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page critiques military glorification and the human cost of war. The top cartoon shows a seated figure labeled "Glory" surrounded by fallen soldiers, satirizing how society elevates military honor while ignoring battlefield deaths. The middle illustration depicts two robed figures (likely representing religious or political authority) in pointed hoods—imagery suggesting institutional hypocrisy regarding warfare. The lower section, titled "Work Far More Fatal Than Play," compares football injuries to military casualties, noting that thirteen deaths and 129 serious injuries from football occurred in two years. The satire suggests society is more concerned about football safety than war's far greater human cost. The quotes criticize society's misplaced values: admiring military bravery while ignoring its true consequences, and rank-based social hierarchies. The overall message challenges Americans' comfort with military sacrifice.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“I know where there is more wisdom than Voltai: —Tallerrand. found in Napoleon, or all the ministers present and to come—in public opinion.” pany “1 wonder is it because men are such cowards in heart that they admire bravery so much, and place military valor so far beyond every other quality for reward and worship? "—Thackeray. Work Far More Fatal Than Play HIRTEEN deaths and 129 cases of serious injuries—broken limbs and the like—are attributed to football this year. The figures are larger than those for two years past. Football is pretty hard to hold. If deaths and injuries increase much the rules may presently be overhauled again. But we Americans are not oversolicitous about life and limb, and when we begin to be really disturbed because too many lives are cut short and too many bodies crippled, football will hardly get a large share of our attention. More lives were lost in a single ditch- digging explosion in Brooklyn the other day than in all the football games of the year in the whole country. The loss of 4,695,853 obstinate life and damage 10 bodies in play are a mere bagatelle compared with the deaths and injuries that are part of the price of getting the country’s work done. A Matter for Thoughtful Concern A the football game which took place at Princeton there were present about ten thousand women. It has been estimated that the average price for every hat worn was twenty dollars. We thus have two hundred thousand dollars’ worth of millinery looking down upon a football field. ‘The weather was a base deceiver. It promised well in the beginning, but soon began to snow and rain. Two hundred thousand dollars’ worth “ Rank is a farce; if people Fools will be A scavenger and king's The same to me.” John Wolcott. “Where there is one man obstinate bekause he iz wize, there is bekause they are ignorant.”"—Josh Billings. of property was therefore badly dam- aged. The depreciation was instant and irrevocable. In a case like this, Providence is plainly at fault. When a steam engine throws a spark into a dry forest and it is burned this is distinctly on us, and we ought to be made to pay for it—as we de. Now if this had been an ordinary open air camp meeting, the loss would have been inconsiderable. Camp meeting mil- linery is notoriously deficient in the highest xsthetic impulses. But to have it occur at a serious af- fair like a Princeton football game is extremely disconcerting. It should teach us that the powers that be are not al- ways.so deeply concerned about our ulti- mate destiny as we have been led to suppose. comicbooks.com