Life, 1915-05-27 · page 29 of 44
Life — May 27, 1915 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top illustration titled "It's 'Trilby' with an All-Star Cast—and a Happy Ending" depicts five figures in military and civilian dress, likely representing European powers and nations during World War I. The cartoon satirizes the conflict as a theatrical production featuring various combatants. The accompanying text by E.S. Martin responds to Principal Fichandler's apparent pacifist teaching, arguing against the song "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier." Martin contends that America, being unprepared militarily, needs military strength to deter aggression from other nations. He argues that cultivation of defensive capability—not pacifism—protects peace, and that this duty applies equally to educators and military officers. The lower illustration shows a joke about Life magazine, with the editor crediting the artist's work as material "taken from Life," a self-referential gag about the magazine's own content. The page reflects WWI-era debate about American preparedness and isolationism versus military readiness.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
I's “ TRILDY teachings, War is dreadful. Our Civil War was dreadful; this great war in Surope is a compendium of all horrors. But what is this great war about? It is a war to put down militarism, To that end most of the peaceable countries of Europe are straining every sinew and every resource they posses: Principal Fichandler may properly point out to the boys that militarism run mad is one of the most terrible of evils, but it is the present judgment of mankind that it is not to be averted by submission, but by the combined resistance of all nations that hate it. If the German children of the next generation are taught to sing. “I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier”, that will be very appro- priate. Germany needs that song, though it is not quite time for it to be popular there. But for our children and our schools the song as yet is very, very unsuitable. We are the least military of considerable nations except China; so unprepared, com- pared with others, as to be an invita- tion to bullies. By as much as we love peace it is our duty not only to live as peaceably and politely as we can with all other countries, but to en- courage them to live politely and peaceably with us, But nothing so much encourages nations to live in sweet politeness with one another as a reasonable apprehension of getting hurt if they don’t. Cultivation and provision of strength enough to inspire a decent respect in one’s neighbors is a duty, and one that it is just as much incumbent on Principal Fichandler to teach to his pupils in Brooklyn Public School 163 as on Major Grant to teach his re- cruits, E, S. Martin. WITH AN ALL*STAR CAST—AND A HAPPY ENDING Artist: L THINK THIS JoRE 1s VERY TRUE TO NATURE itor: YES, 1 CAN SEE IT HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM “LIFE” comicbooks.com