Life, 1914-10-15 · page 14 of 48
Life — October 15, 1914 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical cartoon depicts a chaotic street scene labeled as advice for using "militants" against Berlin. The sketch shows crowds of people in what appears to be civil unrest or protest activity, with buildings burning in the background. The accompanying article, "Preparing for Peace," ironically argues that military preparedness is necessary to avoid war—that nations must be prepared for conflict to prevent it. The piece critiques the paradox that peace requires military strength. The cartoon's title suggests using activist or militant groups as a weapon against Berlin (likely referring to post-WWI Germany), satirizing the notion of deploying civilian unrest as a political strategy. The chaotic imagery reinforces the satirical tone about the ineffectiveness and dangers of such approaches.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HOW TO MAKE USE OF THE MILITANTS SIC ’EM ON BERLIN Preparing for Peace NEITHER logic nor experience supports the assertions of the militarists that the way to have peace is to prepare for war. The hardest of all things connected with military matters is to prepare for war. It is a tremendous task to build fortresses, manufacture guns and ammunition, drill men and teach them how to use their equipment effi- ciently and fear not the bullets of the enemy. After all that is done, after the preparation for war is thoroughly made, the actual making of war is so easy as to be almost unavoidable. It is merely a matter of pulling a few triggers. Therefore, in spite of the many learned paradoxists that now roam the pages of ‘our literature, it must be straightforwardly asserted that the way to have peace is to prepare for peace, and the way to prepare for peace is to do nothing of a military nature. If a nation is in a condition of complete unpreparedness, then it would be absolutely impossible to fly into a bloody war- fare simply because some doughty diplomat had neglected to cross a t in an official communication or to preface his evasive remarks with the customary meaningless amenities. If a nation were thoroughly prepared for peace, it would take, at the very least, a year to stir around and get into any kind of trim, and, in the meantime, the exigencies of existence would go a long way toward smoothing out little misunderstandings and lowering the temperature of hot- heads, Ellis O. Jones. Civil Service Examination for a Latter-Day Clergyman Cw you run a moving-picture show? Give a list of all the latest dances, beginning with the turkey-trot ? Tell ten funny stories—or stories you think are funny? What is the best golf score you ever made? Can you drive a motor-car? Use a typewriter? Have you contributed to the Hearst paners?