Life, 1915-08-12 · page 19 of 40
Life — August 12, 1915 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
## The Cartoon The illustration depicts a military officer in formal dress, positioned dramatically atop a stool labeled "Navy Department," gesturing expansively. The caption reads: "I ARISE TO STATE THAT PERHAPS WE NEED A BETTER NAVY, AFTER ALL." ## Context & Meaning This appears to be WWI-era satire (based on references to Germany, Prussia, and war). The cartoon mocks an unnamed military or political figure—likely a Navy Department official or politician—making grandiose arguments for increased naval spending. The exaggerated pose and melodramatic caption suggest the satirist views such advocacy as theatrical posturing rather than substantive argument. The accompanying text discusses whether the war serves legitimate purposes, comparing Prussia's role to Napoleon's, and debating whether German "Kultur" (civilization/culture) justifies the conflict's costs. The satire implies that calls for naval expansion may be self-serving rather than genuinely addressing the war's necessities. The cartoon critiques both military establishment advocacy and broader wartime rhetoric through absurdist humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“1 ARISE TO STATE THAT PERHAPS WE NEED A BETTER NAVY, AFTER ALL” harshly we aver that it is a poor thing. For most of us motor-drawn, tailor-clad creatures to be shaken out of our tree of life and have to start again somewhere, maybe as pilgrim fathers, would come as a hard jolt, however much good it might eventu- ally do our characters. That is the excuse for everybody who practices or prays or even babbles to stop the war. We are all concerned, all endangered by it. What is it for, anyway? What must be accomplished before it can safely stop? Napoleon had an errand in the world and did it—rather overdid it in the end. He pretty well exploded the divine right of kings, which has looked foolish ever since he made a butt of it, in ‘spite of its mischievous survival in Prussia, That this war will extend Napoleon's work in that respect has all along seemed probable. But that is not enough. Is there enough good in German Kultur to justify so great an expense to advertise it to the world? Napoleon could not conquer the world, but he could change it, and, that done, he passed on out. Prussia cannot conquer the world, but she has been able to change it, and it may be that is her errand, and when it is done 283 she will pass on out as Napoleon did. The Great Administrator used Napo- leon to plow Europe for the planting of democracy. It may be the use of Prussia is to plow it—and all the world—for a planting of order. We don’t like German Kultur as we see it, but no one can deny that it is a great crop. It could not have been raised unless the Prussian tares had been allowed to grow up with it; but harvest it, thresh it and fan the tares out of it, and it may be food the world needs. Kultur—what is -good of it—may conquer the world, though Prussia never can, and if it is or contains or leads to the method that secures the greatest happiness of the greatest num- ber, the world mag’ get to like it. At all events, at present German methods have all the world under in- struction and are prodding it at every point. For the only cure for the world just now seems to be a hair of the dog that bit it. If it has to kill the dog to get the hair, that will be a pity, but such details seem beyond human arrangement OPE BENEDICT has spoken up very powerfully and prayerfully for peace. It suits his office so to speak. He does not suggest specific methods for getting and keeping it— an international police force or any such expedient. He simply declares that the war is altogether dreadful and unchristian and pleads with the belligerent nations to quit. That is about all the Holy Father can do. One does not see how he could go further unless he should beseech the Almighty to incline the hearts of the German and Austrian Kaisers to gather up their entire families and clear out and go and live in the woods. He might strengthen this petition by threatening to excommunicate the Austrian Emperor if he did not cut loose from his heretical allies and abate his aggressions upon Europe. Perhaps he is keeping these bolts in reserve for use when things get worse and the peril to mankind becomes so grave as to warrant use of weapons supposed to be obsolete. comicbooks.com