Life, 1914-12-24 · page 13 of 40
Life — December 24, 1914 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This illustration depicts Santa Claus as missing, with a War Bulletin listing casualties (dead, wounded, missing). An adult figure stands with several children, gazing at the empty space where Santa should be—suggesting his absence during wartime. The satire comments on how World War I disrupted civilian life and childhood experiences. Santa Claus, a symbol of peace, joy, and normalcy, appears conscripted or lost to war's demands. The children's disappointed postures emphasize how the conflict deprived the young of traditional comforts and holiday traditions. Contextually, this reflects American anxieties about wartime scarcity, resource allocation to military efforts, and the pervasive reach of war into domestic spaces—even threatening cultural institutions meant to comfort children during hardship.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
For the Sufferers 'HE contributions acknowledged be- low are those received at Lire office inclusive of December tith: Previously acknowledged .. -$2,873.02 Col, Witheltt Hohenzolle York City, Anti-Hun, New York City... Kitty Columbine, New York W. G., Stamford, Conn.. Rite Van ‘Wagenen, New York City Brian Boru Dunne, Santa Fé, N. Cash, Steubenville, O.. Mrs. Chas. Stewart, J Ohio... : Terry Smith, Eagle Pass, Tex. K. M. C., Kimball, Nebr. Kaonymets, St. Loui H. F. C., Trenton, J... Mrs, W. C. Griggs’s Little Sunday school Girls, Orange, Tex......- Wm. Kobman, Galveston, Tex. Lieut. Fleet. Nineteenth U. A. and E. P., Benavon, Pi Anonymous, Jamestown, N. Y EH. N.. Brooklyn, N. ¥..... C. D. W., Cambridge, Mass. TE. Lynds, Long Beach, Cal. Anonymous, Clay Center, 20.00 25.00 2.30 20.00 10.00 1.00 5.00 $.00 1.00 1.00 ton, ‘Wengaa, Mass. B. Upham, Boston, ae RY W. & H., Cincinnati, O.. 15.00 $3,372.62 We have also received packages of clothing and knit goods from Mary L. Weise, East Gloucester, Mass., and Mrs. R. R. Thacher, Dayton, Tenn. The fund is also indebted to the H. B. Claflin Company, New York City, for special discounts on purchases and for assistance in making shipments. Also to the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique for free transpor- tation of shipments to France. Small packages for the sufferers in the vicinity of Dinard may be sent to Mr. George Stuart Smith, 18 Broadway, New York City, who will combine them into larger packages for shipment. Bulky shipments intended for Dinard may be sent to the French Line, Pier 57, North River, New York City. These should be marked “Secours National" and addressed to Le Comité de I'Ocuvre des Belges, Dinard, Ille-et-Vilaine, France. Simil i addressed to the American Com: Belgian Sufferers, Bush Terminal, Brooklyn, N. Y., will be delivered and distributed in Belgium. One of the contributors to Lrre’s fund for the war sufferers, himself of German descent and bearing a German name, suggests that contributions to the fund by Germans who do not ap- prove of the way the Germans have treated Belgium is an effective and useful way for Germans in America CASUALTIES ") fi if JAG S © WE © Panes MISSING AMONG THE MISSING to show their pity and to register a protest. We do not expect any large number of contributions inspired by this motive, but they would be accepted and sent where they would do good. Lire is trying to bestow this relief from its readers on non-combatants, suffering women, children and aged persons, who, without fault of their own, have been driven from their homes and their possessions destroyed, especially the clothing needed to pro- tect them from the cold of winter No contribution is too small to pro- vide comfort of this kind. SUPPOSE the price of New Eng- land pies will go up, won't it?” “Yes. I believe the war affects hard- ware in all its various forms.”