Life, 1913-10-02 · page 9 of 48
Life — October 2, 1913 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents anti-war propaganda, likely from World War I. The title illustrates the contrast between "The Spy" (espionage/military intrigue shown in the small cartoons above) and "Life" (the magazine's editorial perspective). The poem by George B. Staff condemns War as a criminal defendant, summoning a "Great Jury" to prosecute War for murder and crimes against humanity. It references "bloody fields of carnage" and victims' suffering, arguing War should be "banished from the earth." The dark illustration below labeled "War—The Reality" depicts soldiers in a trench under bombardment—a stark, nightmarish vision contrasting with romanticized war narratives. This juxtaposition makes the satire's point: war's actual horror versus how it's publicly portrayed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ex micnanes, The People vs. War URY of the Nations, on your word Great Jury, that The fate of War depends. He comes to you Can seal the fate of this colossal murderer, From bloody fields of carnage, camps of death; This Titan from the darkness of the past, A specter from the age of caves and stones; Deliberate upon his countless crimes, The incarnation of the beast in man. And bring into the World’s Great Open Court His hands are guilty with the ghastly gore Your verdict for the progress of mankind: From hearts of millions of his victims slain. That War with all his reeking retinue His breath is poisoned with the pestilence Shall be forever banished from the earth! That sweeps the seething camps. George B. Staff. THE REALITY comicbooks.com