Life, 1911-12-07 · page 33 of 112
Life — December 7, 1911 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical cartoon critiques early 20th-century American militarism and the contradiction between peace rhetoric and military buildup. The illustration shows Santa Claus (representing peace) confronting a military figure labeled "O.N.P." (likely "Our Next President"), surrounded by cheering crowds. The dialogue reveals the satire: despite claiming to pursue peace, the administration has ordered battleships, doubled the army, mobilized troops, fortified borders, and completed the Panama Canal—all presented as necessary "security" measures. The joke is that genuine peace is impossible when politicians pursue simultaneous contradictions: they sign peace treaties while frantically militarizing. The Secretary's final line crystallizes this: everything has been done that "politician can suggest, commerce devise or appropriation pay for"—exposing military spending as driven by politics and corporate profit rather than genuine security needs. The secondary humor piece about Christian Science reinforces the theme of ineffective solutions being applied stubbornly.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SANTA WINS Peace PRESIDENT: battleships been ordered? Secretary: Yes, your highness. A full half dozen of the finest craft that the Steel Trust can turn out. O. X. P.: And has Congress passed the bill for doubling the size of the army? Secretary Have the new ye, aye, sir. By a large majority. O. N. P.: And have advertisements for recruits been inserted in all the papers and magazines? Secretary: Every one of them, instructions to run until further notice. .: And have the coast defenses been thoroughly eminence, with Secretary: To the very last rampart and gun, your greatness, and found to be in perfect trim. O. N. P.: And are the fortifications of the Panama Canal complete? rcrerary: Entirely complete, sir, and as impregnable as modern science can make them. O. N. P.: borders? And are the troops mobilized along the Secretary: Yes, your excellency. ON. P.: Are you quite sure that everything has been done to make us absolutely secure in the event of the most expected contingency Secretary: Quite sure. Everything has been done that politician can suggest, commerce devise or appropriation pay for. ON. PV eace treaty ry well, then. nd let me sign it. Bring in that universal Ellis O. Jones. 1 four, came running into the room where her mother and | were sitting. “My dollie’s sick,” she said, “and I don’t know what's tter. I gave her water and she can't swallow that; the doctor gave her a pill and she can’t swallow that.” “Then,” said I, “I don’t see but what you had better try Christian Science for her.” “We have tried it,” said she, “and she can’t swallow that.” comicbooks.com