Life, 1916-01-13 · page 32 of 44
Life — January 13, 1916 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes Franco-American diplomatic tensions during World War I. The left panel shows French newspaper *Le Matin* literally amplifying President Wilson's message through a megaphone labeled with negative terms ("Fads, Serums, Torture, Stunts"). The joke: *Le Matin* claims Wilson's recent statement sounds like Theodore Roosevelt's rhetoric—a comparison that could insult Wilson and embarrass France at "Oyster Bay" (Roosevelt's home), potentially straining Franco-American relations. The right panel shows a man calmly reading newspapers indoors, apparently unfazed—likely representing the American public or government's lack of concern about French media criticism. The caption's punchline suggests wealthy industrialists (notably Rockefeller, referenced in the bottom caption) receive more public appreciation than newspapers do for their efforts—a dig at media self-importance during wartime.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
80 HINK not that when the old gods’ reign had ended They passed as passes our mere mortal breath; Or that the Elder Lords at last descended Into a land of impotence and death. They are not dead; as yet they do but slumber, And ever and anon awake again To watch with ancient calm the men that cumber This carth of theirs with pucrile joy and pain: With ancient calm—but when the world-old gladness Wells up anew within earth's fervent heart, When all the forest throbs with August madness, The pagan gods arise and play their part: The fauns, beneath the summer stars, are chaunting Their dreamy melodies for modern mai The nymphs are in the brake, and distant, haunting, Rise from the woods the glad old songs of Pan. Still is the wine of Circe made and offered For mouths athirst where Lethe’s water flows; When life’s best sweets at youth are first uncoffered, Then Aphrodite's lips are in the rose. Reginald Wright Kauffman, Le Matin’s Bad Break E MATIN of Paris says President Wilson's latest mes- sage reads like Roosevelt. Le Matin takes a big chance of being persona non grata at Oyster Bay, wr, wl, NO ONE SEEMS TO APPRECIATE THEM Some Recommendations After Taking a Well-Known Recipe for Peace FTER using your Oscar Second sauce for one week, T can truthfully say that I have no taste left for war. peror WILLIAM. I was troubled with pains in my extremities, could not sleep, and even a slice of Turkey did not seem to agree with me; but since reading your ultimatum I can truly say that I never laughed so hard in my life. I can cordially recommend it to any monarch suffering from melancholia. FerpiNaNnp oF BULGARIA. After taking one of your Peace cocktails, even domestic life has no terrors for me. Geora I hope to use your prescription later. At present T am rather too busy. Jorrre. Circumstantial “T SEE that in Maine if a man is arrested for a crime, they put him in stripes, shave his head and throw him into jail before he has had a trial.” “ Probably on the principle that any man caught living in Maine must be guilty anyway.” *etLisoa Hoovee Fe QUITE SO MUCH AS MR. ROCKEFELLER