Life, 1914-08-20 · page 7 of 40
Life — August 20, 1914 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains satirical commentary on World War I and American society. The "War Specials" section includes three brief, cynical quips: one mocking American weakness ("balance of power—tomorrow the balance of washers"), another joking darkly about mad dogs and war season, and a third about European titles and marriage—suggesting war-widows might seek advantageous marriages to titled Europeans. The photograph below, captioned "Camp Followers," depicts women accompanying soldiers, likely referencing the historical practice of civilians (often women) following military camps. The image appears to illustrate the social disruptions caused by war mobilization, though the specific context and individuals are unclear from the page alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OTTO of an American gold piece: “See America first.” Yesterday the balance of power— to-morrow the balance of weakness. This is the season for mad dogs— including those of war. The husbands of American girls who War Specials have married European titles will now have a good excuse for being away from home over night. kingdom for a merchant Revised Version—" Onward, Chris- tian Soldiers, murdering as we go.” Correction—In the phrase inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn”, substitute“ mil- lions” for thousands. It must annoy a number of people to think they cannot blame the European war on the Democratic administration. CAMP FOLLOWERS _comicbooks.com