Life, 1914-09-17 · page 29 of 48
Life — September 17, 1914 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon:** A householder apologizes to a burglar, explaining they just moved in and don't know where valuables are. This is a visual joke about the inconvenience of moving. **"Famine" Essay:** A personified allegory where Famine speaks as "the skeleton in every nation's closet"—a hidden shame. The piece explicitly connects Famine to War, stating they are "comrades." Famine claims War grants it access to all societies, appearing during armed conflicts to devastate crops and kill civilians (mothers, wives, children). This is anti-war commentary: the essay argues that war inevitably produces famine as a companion catastrophe, making both inseparable consequences of militarism. **Housing Advertisement:** A rental listing describes a building as "out of date" but improvable, with "nominal" terms. It's addressed to "The Hague, Palace of Peace, Carnegie"—satirizing international peace institutions as potential tenants for Famine itself, suggesting these organizations have failed to prevent war-caused suffering. **"Yachting Term" Cartoon:** A small humorous illustration, likely a pun about nautical terminology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Householder: 1'M SORRY TO DISAPPOINT YOU AFTER ALL YOUR TROUBLE, BUT WE'VE JUST MOVED IN AND WE HAVEN'T THE REMOTEST IDEA WHERE ANY OF OUR VALUABLES ARE Famine I hide myself I AM the skeleton in every nation’s closet. in the dark recesses behind the silent uniforms sway- ing in the dark. While the guests make merry and the householders ply them with viands at the friendly board, I bide my time. But when the alarms sound and the guests go out to kill, then I start forth in the gray shadows of early morn- ing. With my thin wand I touch the cornfields and watch them wither. And as the sun shines on battlefields my day of triumph comes. No longer afraid to show my hollow face, I stalk through village and city, laying my rattling hands on mother and wife and babe. My comrade, War, true to his eternal promise, has given me the entry to all societies. ENANT wanted for a long term of years; building out of date, but can be made comfortable and home like. Terms nominal. Apply, The Hague, Palace of Peace, Carnegie. YACHTING TERM FOOTING FAST FOR THE BUOY