Life, 1915-10-07 · page 23 of 52
Life — October 7, 1915 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon satirizes German-Italian tensions during World War I. It depicts a German soldier showing an Italian figure a crude visual joke—Italy's boots (implying Italian soldiers' feet) stamping on Germany's face. The German speaks in exaggerated dialect, calling it a "colossal" scene worth "drei dimes a day." The satire mocks both German arrogance and the uncomfortable Allied partnership: Germany apparently views Italy (its supposed ally) as comically treading on German interests, yet finds this amusing. The cartoon ridicules German attitudes toward their allies and suggests friction within the Central Powers. The surrounding text discusses broader diplomatic issues—Von Papen's insulting letter calling Americans "idiotic," Armenian massacres, and Balkan reconstruction—all framed as examples of how nations misunderstand each other during wartime. The piece argues that while Von Papen's criticism was tactless, Americans and Germans genuinely viewed each other as irrational during this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
7 a t) J. Wout GOTT STRAFE ITALY “nal anywhere else in the world. in misgovernment, cruelty, greed and racial ambitions. From all these pests the Balkans have suffered full measure. Of course if the Allies win thoroughly enough an immense effort will be made to clean the Balkans up, settle the boundaries of the several states so as to accord with the wishes of their populations, relieve them of Turks and carpet-bag kings and put them on the YOU SEE DER LEEDLE DABLEAU! DREI DIMES ITALY PLACKS CHERMANY’S PooTS! It breeds | DREI DIMES A DAY I ENCHOY IT! coLossaL! vot?” road to better living. But it will be a big job, a good deal like domesticat- ing hornets. And another neighboring job will be the rescue of the remnant of the Ar- menians, whom the Turks, just now, somehow find energy and time to harry, massacre and expatriate in unprece- dented numbers. Germany does not care, and the other European powers are too busy to do anything about it. 655 Lord Bryce has called upon our gov- ernment to make a stir in this matter. Perhaps if Mr. Bryan goes abroad he will mention to the Kaiser and the Sultan how heartily Americans disap- prove of these proceedings. Meanwhile there is no doubt that Mr. Lansing and Mr. Morgenthau will do what they can, and that may be something. Some disapproval has been expressed of Captain Von Papen, late of the German Embassy, for speaking in a letter to his wife of the “idiotic Americans,” but really that was noth- ing against Herr Von Papen, especially as he wrote in German and not in- tentionally for publication. Germans and Americans do not see eye to eye just now. We think the Germans are temporarily crazy. If Herr Von Pa- pen does not agree with that view he is almost bound to hold that Americans are “idiotic.” If he could only have qualified his view a little it would have found con- siderable acceptance. Take Henry Ford for example. Henry is quoted as say- ing: “If I find any of the banks in which my company or myself have de- posits taking part in the proposed loan to the Allies I will immediately close our accounts.” If Von Papen had ap- plied his German adjective to Mr. Ford it would not have seemed much out of the way, though of course unfortunate as coming from a diplomatic officer. HE voters of New York have got to take somebody’s word for the merits of the new constitution, Printed, it takes up three full pages of news- paper in fairly fine type. Not one voter in a thousand will read it. A good many will learn the chief points of change, but the mass of voters who vote at all on it will vote on the rec- ommendation of their party leaders. comicbooks.com