Life, 1916-02-10 · page 18 of 44
Life — February 10, 1916 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This fable satirizes American pacifism, likely referencing the peace movements and anti-war sentiment of the early 20th century. The references to "Bryan and Ford" suggest William Jennings Bryan (known for pacifist positions) and Henry Ford (who promoted peace efforts). An idealistic Eagle adopts pacifism—the "Doctrine of Non-Resistance"—and convinces barnyard fowl to abandon self-defense. He preaches disarmament to vulnerable creatures. A Fox then attacks and devours him. When the Eagle protests his mistreatment, the Fox dismisses the distinction between an Eagle and a Goose, treating him as easy prey. **The satire's point**: Pacifism works only if *all* parties embrace it. A pacifist remains vulnerable to predatory aggression. The moral warns that idealistic peace doctrine fails when confronted by ruthless adversaries who don't reciprocate restraint. The cartoon mocks naive pacifists as foolish as defenceless chickens.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: A Fable for Pacifiers N Eagle of a sentimental ilk, Who had read a lot of Bryan and of Ford, Decided to subsist on buttermilk And cease to be the air’s unchastened lord: So a manicurist cut his beak and claws, And he had a local surgeon clip his wings, Till his soul became as soft as any gauze And he sang upon a harp with silver strings: “Cease, warriors, cease The way of peace Will lengthen our existence; For I'm a con- Vert to the Non— The Doctrine of Non-Resistance.” To a Chicken Coop he meekly wandered then To show his taste for simple barnyard fare. And he tauglit to every Rooster, every Hen, His simple barnyard dogma, “ Don't pre- pare.” “Tf war shall be discouraged,” he avowed, “It’s obvious that someone must begin. Let us live without protection—show the crowd Of unfeeling Hawks and Buzzards war's a sin. “Say, brothers, say! No Bird of Prey Will threaten our existence. We're each a con- Vert to the Non— The Doctrine of Non-Resistance.” Now this Eagle loved to stand upon a box And harangue those unprotected Barn- yard Fowls; But one day, thus posed, he didn’t see a Fox Till that Beast slunk in and seized him in his jowls. Screamed the Eagle, “It's an outrage! Can't you sce I’m an Eagle, not a Chicken? Turn me loose!” Quoth the Fox, “It makes no difference to me What you are. In my opinion you're a Goose.” Moral Preach, brothers, preach. But when War's screech Rings out—then keep your distance! And drop that con Which deals with Non— The Doctrine of Non-Resistance. Wallace Irwin. “He sang upon a harp” Efficiency learn from a news despatch that a North Hud- son, Ind., matt has just married a girl after QW courting her for twenty years. During the first ten years of his courtship, he called on Tuesday, Thurs- a y, Saturday and Sunday evenings. During the a next five years he limited himself to calling on Thurs- 3665 day and Sunday evenings; and during the last five years he called on Sunday evenings only. This is the proper method of courtship. It shows the bride what to expect after marriage; whereas the system which is in almost universal vogue leads her to expect too much. In these parts the man starts calling on Sunday evenings, gradually works up to a grand climax of calling every night in the week, and then marries the girl. The girl has not been prepared for the evenings out which the man begins to require soon after marriage; and as a result the worm dis- content begins to prey upon her cheek. We recommend the North Hudson system, which trains the girl never to expect to see her husband at all. Then she'll be happy, no matter what happens. ‘TED—Several million Americans to do some good, hard thinking about present needs. People with visions, panaceas, and advanced notions about international brotherhood and the abolition of war need not apply. Men and women willing to meet conditions as they are and to trust to God for the future may go to work at once. Uncre Samvet, OPINIONS that are resisted the most are sometimes those that do us the most good. comicbooks.com