Life, 1910-01-06 · page 43 of 76
Life — January 6, 1910 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This *Life* magazine page contains political commentary on U.S. interventionism and domestic policy circa early 1900s. The main cartoon, titled "Bluebeard," depicts a man in formal dress surrounded by portraits and documents in an interior setting—likely satirizing U.S. foreign policy under the Monroe Doctrine. The text discusses whether America should intervene in Central American instability (mentioning Castro in Venezuela and Zelaya in Nicaragua), suggesting the policy creates moral responsibility while respecting non-interference. The second article, "Abstainers at Last," reports that soldiers returning from the Philippine-American War were institutionalized after drinking indigenous intoxicants because Congress had banned alcohol from military canteens. The satire mocks prohibition advocates: their policy to enforce sobriety backfired, driving desperate soldiers to consume whatever substitutes available—resulting in psychiatric casualties. The cartoon "Writing His Autobiography" appears to illustrate this ironic consequence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Vaasa RUG OMERY “FLAGS up. By the Monroe doctrine we have suspended the application of this n: v of politics to the Central and South American republics. Europ must not coerce them no matter hov much they may seem to need it. They may eat one another up—except as pro vided by the agreement for arbitra arranged by Secretary Root—or they may improve and develop themselves by civil wars if they can, but they cannot be im- proved of developed by an interposition from Europe. That is all very well. It is a good “doctrine * and has helped to keep the peace of the world for a hundred years, but it puts responsibility on this country When things get very, very bad in a country like Nicaragua or Venezuela it is for us to take thought whether it is not our duty to do something to supply the need of the political law of nature which we have forbidden to work. We “ BLUEBEARD’? helped a good deal to keep Castro out of Venezuel. ed to be necessary to help Nicaragua rid herself of Zelaya who seems 1 a very bad lot indeed, and an unconscionable oppressor. It may even turn out to be suitable to catch and ha nor Zelaya, but inter national proprietics are likely to weigh against that SOM. its Abstainers at Last ID Congress take duc notice that some carloads of crazy soldiers that had come back from the Philip- pines, were shipped the other day from San Francisco to the Government asy- lums for the nisane! A large proportion of these men, the papers s: ing the intoxicants indigenous Philippines. Not being able to get beer or American drinks, they drank what- ever they could get . had gone crazy from drink- to the They another illustration—will fe take notice !—of the re- afford Congress ple: sults of the suppression of the arm canteen by Congress, at the instance of persons who believe in compulsory total abstinence for all citizens of the United WRITING 1S AUTOMOBIOGRAPHY comicbooks.com