Life, 1913-11-27 · page 9 of 40
Life — November 27, 1913 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts Mars (the Roman god of war), identifiable by his beard, armor, and sword, holding a winged figure (likely Peace or Victory) while pointing toward distant soldiers on a battlefield. The caption reads "Peace: Tell me, Mars, when will wars cease? 'Ask those gentlemen.'" This is anti-war satire suggesting that military leaders and politicians—"those gentlemen" in the distance—bear responsibility for perpetual conflict. By having Mars deflect the question to human decision-makers, the cartoon critiques the notion that war is inevitable or divinely ordained, instead attributing it to human choice and leadership. The accompanying article discusses medical efforts to reduce human suffering and birth rates, questioning whether such measures ultimately strengthen or weaken populations—a eugenic-era concern reflecting early 20th-century anxieties about population management.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Peace: Query The prophylactic, vetra-humani- tari.n measures of to-day make it possible for the weakest and unfittest to survive along with the strongest and best. Indeed, the tendency is to safeguard the interests of the former at the expense of the latter, a tendency which is bound ultimately to affect the race detrimentally. —London Hospital. 'HIS is interesting. Can it be possible that all the medical paraphernalia of the present day, the inoculation of serums and the immensely advertised prophylactic measures, announcements “ASK THOSE GENTLEMEN.” of which are made with such ghoulish glee by doctors from time to time—can it be possible that the sum total of all this great work is only to make the strong weaker? Along with this state- ment comes also the statement that everywhere the birth rate is decreas- ing. If we, therefore, follow this to its logical conclusion and our doctors are allowed to have full swing, in the course of time the world will be peo- pled by a comparatively small number of human beings who are so weak and degenerate that they will have to be 5m \ 7K ee TELL ME, MARS, WHEN WILL WARS CEASE? carried around on stretchers, Perhaps there will be a few able-bodied physi- cians alive to carry them. Who knows? “(A FAREWELL DINNER”