Life, 1916-02-24 · page 7 of 48
Life — February 24, 1916 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes American attitudes toward Germany during World War I, specifically around President Wilson's 1917 inaugural address. The top section mocks "AMERICA" as hypocritical—claiming noble values ("Artful," "Merciful," "Energetic") while actually being mercenary and advantageous. The lower cartoon depicts German leaders at a podium, with the caption mocking their call for "hyphenation"—unity among German-Americans and other ethnic groups. The seated figures appear to represent German officials or sympathizers. The satire targets both German propaganda efforts to unite hyphenated Americans and American politicians who preached idealism while pursuing self-interest. This reflects wartime suspicion of German-American loyalties and anti-hyphenation sentiment that peaked during WWI.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A-M-E-R-I-C-A As she appears to Europe just n An Artful Aggregation of Miscrable, Merciless Mercenaries, Ever Eagerlyand — Encrgetically Reaching Rapaciously Round In Ingenious —_Intrigues to Corral Cosmopolitan Cash And Anything Advantageous. “UND NOW, FRIENDS, LET US UN! TheHyphenated National Anthem Y countries, ‘tis of ye, U. S. and Germany, Of ye I sing. Lands of the Kaisident, Lands of the pfennigcent, Through U-Deutsched Staats- land's vast extent Let Hoch-rahs ring. INAUGURAL ADDRESS 1917 "IL, DOT MENACE TO DER PEACE OF DISS GOUNTRY, ‘AMERICANISM,’ LET US BE ALL GERMANS HERE TOGEDDER, ALL SITZENS OF ONE GREAT HYPHENATION.” “takes.