Life, 1916-04-27 · page 19 of 44
Life — April 27, 1916 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine editorial cartoon and accompanying text criticize American inaction during World War I (then ongoing). The cartoon depicts an elderly man at a desk—likely representing a political or intellectual figure—while a horseman (evoking Paul Revere) rides frantically in the background, a visual metaphor for urgent warning being ignored. The text references **Maximilian Harden**, a German pacifist who advocated ending the war. The cartoonist uses Harden ironically: while acknowledging Germany's military strength, the piece suggests America needs someone to sound an alarm about the war's destructive trajectory—a "Paul Revere" to warn the nation. The satire criticizes American complacency during WWI's devastating attrition (mentioning Verdun's casualties). The author argues that if the current administration cannot stop the war through diplomacy, voters should demand change in the upcoming election. The "Paul Revere" reference thus represents the need for urgent political action to prevent America's inevitable involvement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
we could rise to a situation, and in an economic sense we are capable of very much. All we ask is orders. For them we have to wait on government. But give them to us and you will see. SINESS as usual,” said the Eng- lish when the war began. Now people say, “ War as usual.” There is business, too, a vast deal of it; but the great current business is war. It goes on just about as usual: the back and forth at Verdun with its lengthening butcher’s bill; a German gain, appar- ently, in commercial arrangements with Rumania; activities on the Russian front; something doing in the neigh- borhood of Trebizond, and reports, not very clear, of earnest proceedings on a limited scale about Bagdad. A good many people of influence feel that the war has lasted long enough WANTED: A PAUL REVERE already for the instruction of all the peoples concerned, and ought to stop. One such person is Maximilian Harden, who professes to be fully satisfied with Germany’s prowess, but thinks that peace is possible and that everyone should reach for it before all the war- ring nations have been bled quite white. The plight of the world, so unex- pectedly appalling, has prompted some enquirers to search history to discover what had happened before in historical times. One such reader who had been getting up Genghis Khan and his ex- tremely ruthless and destructive con- quest of most of Asia only seven hun- dred years ago, was left speculating whether the possibility of that sort of enterprise had really passed away out of the world. People had supposed so until the day the Germans crossed the Belgian frontier, but now they are doubtful. There are times when this world seems humdrum, but in reality it is an incurably sporty place, and seems never to settle down, except to rest before rising up again and raising more hob than ever. One gets discouraged about it as a place of residence, and inclines in times like these to the Rooseveltian attitude that treats it as an adventure, to be taken on the run and enjoyed for its vicissitudes. In the life of cattle, to be slaughtered is a normal incident. It is getting to be so in the life of Europeans, and fashions shaped in Europe may usually be trusted to pene- trate to these States. People who dis- like that prospect should take a little thought with Maximilian Harden and interest themselves in stopping the war before destruction has become again a human habit. If staying out of it does no good, it will be in order to try get- ting in. If our present administration can do nothing, without doubt there will be an earnest search for an administra- tion of a different temper. Neverthe- less, it is still six months before elec- tion day, and six months of activity of such forces as are now organized for military action in this world is a long time. comicbooks.com