Life, 1914-10-15 · page 17 of 48
Life — October 15, 1914 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page targets pessimistic businessmen ("Wet Blankets") who spread doom and gloom while claiming patriotic concern. The main cartoon shows such a figure literally wringing clouds—depicting defeatist talk as harmful to public morale and business confidence, likely during or after WWI. The "Public Prosecutors" section attacks selective law enforcement: authorities punish minor infractions (trampling grass) while ignoring corruption (franchise theft) by wealthy contributors. This exposes how campaign donations shield the powerful. The "No Choice" commentary on France and the war references maternal productivity—a crude eugenic argument about why Germany nearly prevailed. The small cartoon labeled "The Infidel" is a racist joke about Chinese people, playing on missionary conversion efforts. It's incomprehensible without understanding period prejudices. All three pieces use satire to critique hypocrisy: false patriotism masking self-interest, selective justice, and bigotry presented as humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HEADS IN THE CLOUDS Public Prosecutors BLIC prosecutors do not prose- cute the public as a whole. They merely prosecute those particular por- tions of the public who can do them the least harm at election time. They are likely to be much more strict against those who walk on the public grass than against those who grab valuable franchises in the public streets, because walking on the grass yields no dividends from which cam- paign contributions may come. No Choice Had France been left to fight alone the result of the war would have been determined long since by the more productive German mothers, —Springfield Republican. Bt in either case the mothers lose. 665 The Worst Offender ES, this is the Wet Blanket. He cannot help it; he was born that way. He is supposed to be a good business man because he has many. sterling qualities. When you enter his office he closes the door mysteriously and holds up his hands. He tells you he has never seen things worse. He whispers that the future looks dark and gloomy. He declares there is no hope. He says he is aware that we should all be as cheerful as possible, but that is not going to make any differ- ence with the final result— Which he thinks is going to be much worse than we have any idea of. He insists that he naturally has only the best interests of the nation at heart. He is no glosser, not he. It is our duty, he says, to face the inevitable, What can be done with him? We don't quite know. Perhaps he ought to be segregated We might have a Wet Blanket re- treat where all the Wet Blaokets in business can be put where they will do the least harm. Then when dividends begin to burst 2round us they could be let loose with the caution: “Smile, d—n you, smile!” The Infidel: LEARN TO BE A CHLIS- TIAN? NO, NO! CHINESE NEVER LEARN TO SHOOT GOOD "NOUGH TO BE CHLISTIAN