Life, 1915-06-10 · page 9 of 48
Life — June 10, 1915 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine cartoon satirizes German religiosity during World War I. It depicts an elderly German man (identifiable by context as representing Germany or German culture) in prayer, with a woman listening. The caption quotes him praying in German dialect: "Und all der Chermans bray, too! Dey bray Gott damn England!" The satire mocks German claims of piety while simultaneously cursing England—suggesting hypocrisy in German wartime rhetoric that combined religious devotion with militant aggression. The subtitle notes this represents "one of the most touching things about the war," referring ironically to France becoming religious during conflict. The cartoon reflects American anti-German sentiment during WWI, portraying Germans as crude and contradictory in their patriotic fervor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE GERMAN'’S PRAYER “ONE OF THE MOST TOUCHING THINGS ABOUT THE WAR IS THE WAY FRANCE BECAME RELIGIOUS. ALL THE FRENCHMEN PRAY.” “UND ALL DER CHERMANS BRAY, TOO! DEY BRAY GOTT DAMN ENGLAND!” Crescendo VACATION time has come again, the cherished flower of the year, and Sister takes the early train, and goes to shop for gayer gear. Such wondrous bargains she displays, in filmy pinks and blues and browns; and loudly swells our song of praise, when Sister buys her summer gowns. When Mother's shopping trip occurs, there's watchful waiting and suspense; she’s gone a-hunting mil- liners (Parisian ones by preference); and when the box comes home—oh, my! there’s great commotion in our flat: the jubilation rises high when Mother dons her summer hat! The shopping orgy now is o'er, the time of storm and stress and fret, but still we miss the peace of yore, and days must dawn more hectic yet; as Sister Maude and Mother too agree with apprehensive thrills, the season's climax isn’t due till Father sees the summer bills. Corinne Rockwell Swain.