Life, 1916-02-10 · page 11 of 44
Life — February 10, 1916 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains WWI-era satire about European neutrality and military preparedness. The cartoon depicts three military figures on a beach with the caption "My mistake, boys. Let's make up and forget all about it!"—mocking the impossibility of nations simply abandoning conflict. The surrounding text includes patriotic poetry ("Hymn of the Hyphenated") attacking neutrality and dual loyalties, and a section titled "Sweden Is Shaky" discussing Sweden's precarious position between Germany and Russia during the war. A humorous dialogue between characters named Willis, Gillis, and Payton satirizes naval military strategy and obsolete warship design. The overall message reflects American anxieties about European instability and arguments for military strength rather than neutrality—likely from 1916-1917, before U.S. entry into WWI.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
William: wy Hymn of the Hyphenated Y country, ‘tis of thee, Land of neutrality, Of thee I sing. I would thy laws o’erride, I would thy course decide, I would be satisfied To run the thing. My foster country, thee To which I came to flee The army’s call; Be not surprised if I Thy neutral laws defy And seek to blow sky-high Thy arms-plants all. My Kaiser, ‘tis to thee I owe all loyalty, To thee I sing. MISTAKE, BOYS. May this land know the blight Of thy all-conquering might. Thine is the earth by right And everything. Walter G. Doty. What's the Use? ILLIS: Why are you so strongly against a larger navy? Gitus: What's the use of having any at all? Suppose war was declared against us this year. The battleships we built last year are out of date, the ones we are building now wouldn't be finished and the ones we would build next year haven't even been invented yet. AYTON: liabilities ? Parker: Nothing but Smith, Has Smith’s wife any LET'S MAKE UP AND FORGET ALL AvouT iT! Sweden Is Shaky WED! is said to he veering in the direction of Germany. Probably she will not go over to the Teutonic Alliance, but it is no wonder that she sound reasons to fear broke her word utterly and scandalously with Finland and used every effort to reduce that gallant little country to complete subservience. That is one of the black marks in Russia's record. Sweden has abundant reason to fear Russia unreformed. But is many unreformed any safer? 'O Faithful Reader, who enquires the Kaiser is as ill as reporte Dear Sir: Guess again. Itjs just as reliable as what you read in the papers, and less trouble.