Life, 1914-04-02 · page 21 of 68
Life — April 2, 1914 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a romantic literary piece titled "Expiring Winter: The Mortal Wound," not a political cartoon. It personifies Spring and Earth (or Winter and Spring) as lovers in an annual reunion. The narrative depicts their flirtation and kiss as nature cycles through seasons—Spring arrives to awaken Earth from Winter's long, dreary sleep. The text emphasizes their eternal, cyclical romance: "the whole thing all over again for the one thousand nine hundred and fourteenth time." The satire lies in treating natural seasonal change as sentimental human courtship, complete with clichéd romantic dialogue ("you are always here," "lovelier"). The stark black-and-white illustration shows a pale figure against dark ground—likely depicting Spring's arrival or the winter landscape. This was typical *Life* magazine content: mixing gentle nature-based humor with romantic sentimentality for early 20th-century audiences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
gan in a more human, conciliatory tone than he had thus far used, “there must be a fate in this way we meet, that is, the way you come, every year to this very spot——?” “And you are always here!” “And we go off together on that beautiful journey together-—” “Not forgetting our chaperon, Mother Nature.” “Sometimes, I think she’s just a plain match-maker?” “After all we never bore each other, do we, dear Earth?” “EXPIRING WINTER THE MORTAL WOUND He looked into her eyes. “Do you remember,” he asked, “ that little song we have sung so often; the one with ‘tra la’ at the end of every line? It’s about you. Oh, it’s good to see you again, Springtime.” He moved considerably nearer. “The Winters are so long,” she pleaded, “and so dreary that when I see the arbutus and the anenome— those old signals that we have never grown tired of—I simply HAVE to seek you out and wake you up.” He DELIBERATELY kissed her. They listened quite still for a while to the birds cooing. “Strange, isn’t it,” it mused, “that every year, when you are here, the song seems sweeter, the flowers more fragrant, the stars softer——?” “Yes——" she murmured happily, her eyes dancing into his. “And you—lovelier!” She nestled against his shoulder and his arm went about her, beginning the whole thing all over again for the one thousand nine hundred and fourteenth time, Kate Masterson. comichooks.eyu)