Life, 1909-08-26 · page 25 of 28
Life — August 26, 1909 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising with a satirical song**, not a political cartoon. **Main Content: "A Sydney War Song"** The extended satirical poem mocks British imperial naval policy, specifically Australia's financial contribution to British warship construction. The song uses colloquial Australian dialect ("'Umpty Dumpty," "Hempire") to lampoon how Britain exploited colonial resources—Australia spent millions on ships to "guard" British interests rather than protect itself. The refrain "Rob Australian Peter / To pay old Hinglish Paul" explicitly criticizes this arrangement. The song references the Melbourne Stock Exchange and contemporary political figures (Bülow), suggesting this addresses early 20th-century defense debates. **Advertisements:** - Underberg Bitters (left) - Underwood Typewriter (center) - Philip Morris Cigarettes (right) **Cartoon (bottom right):** A brief comedic exchange where someone jokingly confesses to theft, using exaggerated dialect humor typical of period humor. The page reflects Australian resentment toward imperial financial demands during the pre-WWI era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
isRAEe World's Best — ‘eqghet] Makes every meal = a treat,even tothe dyspeptic. Tones up the system. Sold Frerywhere. LUYTIES BROTHERS U.S, Agents New York A Sydney War Song song 0’ Hempire her's took a fit, Germany buildin’ ships, never mentioned it. n’ beastly warships, © a tidy few; s got on awful start; $s got it too. Sing was in the Customs House, couldn’t find a penny ; rds were at their country seats { didn't offer any; llyun paupers mooned about h nothin’ mucl to eat, down comes Australyer ha Dreadnaught for the fleet. song o’ Warships, id ole Bulow, down ‘is Dreadnaughts didn’t let us know advertise it, the Cablegram he awful tidings he Hempire shouted, “ Damn!" song 0’ Hempire her's up a tree; © Melbourne Stock Exchange swore to set ‘er free he Ger i I upon the sly seventeen suburban know the reason why! cen suburban m he Building Breed, succor Hingland er hour of need. of “Constant R o Bono Publico Wil bscriber "* Ficbbergasted? No! ! trooly battleship, h guns an’ things galore, splendid sails of calico 1 MacMillan’s store Stock Exchange will float it a sea of gush, 3 two millyun quid to us? ¢ don’t care a rush! ‘—whisper—little mother, i, later on, some day, want ter sorter float a loan, + To 'elp us on our way— Rorrer of it back, like— \iter wot ‘as passed, "t you go an’ crool our pitch, Like you did the last.) Sing a song o’ Britain’s flect (Ow the Tories raged!) That's goin’ to guard A (if ny Sing of ‘Umpty Dumpty— "Im that ‘ad the fall. Rob Australian Peter To pay old Hinglish Paul. z 0” topsy-turvey; ing of inside-out, Of back-to-front and upside-down ther Spend ten bloomin’ millyun, yer ships galore, send them all to Hingland To guard Australyer’s shore The Best Car Record Machine is the Underwood—in fact, it is the only machine that exactly meets the pe- culiarneeds of every phase of railroad work. The Underwood Standard Typewriter originated Writing-in-Sight con- struction, Built-in Tabulators and our many other time-saving appli- ances for modem accounting. Every live business has need of ‘one or more of our Special Pur- pose machines. Work is done quicker, neater and with a marked saving of operating expense. Let us show you how the Under- wood Typewriter will fit into the special needs of your business and youwill understand why we say itis “The Machine You Will Eveatuaity Buy” The Underwood Typewriter Co., Inc. Anywhere PHILIP MORRIS ORIGINAL LONDON CIGARETTES A better cigarette, a more delightful smoke than this, has never been produced Little Brown Box."" ve got ter guard “ the heart."* If it gets a limb lopped o} That ain't a vital part. Learn ter think Imperially ; ck with courage grim; heart" must be protected— it’s tough if we're the li —The Sydne A TRACHER was telling a class at school last Sunday about the Deluge, remarking And then it rained for forty days a nights.”” Then a little boy satisfied then, miss? “VOU WEREN'T SATISFIED WITIL YOUR FIRST MAUL, WERE YOU? YOU HAD TO COME BACK FOR More.”” “YoU COT ME RIGHT, BOSS. NOW, BE A GOOD FELLER, JUST GIMME FIFTEEN MINUTES AN’ I'LL FETCH BACK DE STUFF I STOLE BEFORE—I WILL— I GIVE YOU ME WORD OF HONOR,” comicbooks.com