Life, 1914-09-24 · page 18 of 45
Life — September 24, 1914 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains WWI-era American political satire, likely from 1914-1918. **Top Cartoon**: Shows a man attempting to slip past a group unnoticed to reach a dentist. The humor is straightforward—dental visits were universally dreaded. **"What God?" Section**: Directly attacks Kaiser Wilhelm II's claim that he and God work together. Life contrasts the Christian God of mercy with the "god" supposedly aiding the Kaiser—depicted as bloodthirsty and violent. This reflects American opposition to Germany during WWI. **"Of Two Evils" Cartoon**: Illustrates people choosing between two undesirable options, likely referencing wartime hardships or political compromises. **"A Request"**: Life ironically announces it's suspending ordinary news coverage due to war-related material overload. This satirizes how completely WWI dominated American newspapers and public discourse, crowding out routine reporting. The page reflects Life's anti-German editorial stance and critiques how the war consumed public attention and media space.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Cresent OOF ue AND JUST AS HE HOPED TO GET TO THE DENTIST UNOBSERVED VE of the New York papers announces that it will be used in a public school as a text-book. The reason for doing this might be explained on the ground that what is lost in making the student learn so many things which are not so, will be offset by the discipline gained in trying to discover the needle of truth in the haystack of headlines. “OF TWO EVILS ALWAYS CHOOSE THE LESSER” What God? THE Kaiser says he and God are working together. What God can this be? Not our Christian God, our benevo- lent Creator, a God of love and hope and mercy. The god that helps the Kaiser is a god of broken faith, with bloodshot eyes, loose lips and dripping sword. He and the Kaiser make a strong team—for slaughter. THE problems of politicians may be grouped under two general heads: How to get money into the public treasury, and how to get it out. “And art subdues the strong " —Homer. A Request E have been asked by the Inter- national Association of Allied News Purveyors to publish the fol- lowing: Owing to the crowded condition of our columns on account of the war, all ordinary news, such as di- vorces, births, deaths, murders, fires, burglaries, interviews of magnates, announcements of politicians and the like, is requested to hold itself in abeyance until such time as we shall be able to give it proper attention.