Life, 1916-08-03 · page 23 of 38
Life — August 3, 1916 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains satirical commentary on early 20th-century topics: **"His Temptation"** (top cartoon): Shows a man in a car encountering a woman and child on a rural road. The caption suggests a moral test—likely satirizing the temptation of wealth or modern excess represented by the automobile. **Doctor Chapman profile**: Celebrates John Jay Chapman, a Harvard-educated writer and social critic known for irreverent commentary on public figures. The text praises his wit and intellect while noting he's unpopular for his blunt opinions. **"Lost Her Character"**: A harsh commentary on Germany during or after World War I, suggesting the nation compromised its moral integrity through nationalism and militarism. The rhetorical question asks whether Germany can be reformed morally. **Bottom cartoon**: A runaway (likely a child) encounters a "novice" (apparent vagrant), who offers cynical street philosophy about heaven—a dig at poverty and religious platitudes offered to the desperate. The page reflects *Life*'s satirical approach to war, morality, and social hypocrisy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MIS TEMPTATION Doctor Chapman yre COLLEGE gave the degree of Doctor of Letters this year to John Jay Chapman, a Harvard graduate not yet embellished in that fashion by his own university. Mr. Chapman is a highly accomplished person and a bully writer, but not very popular. He is not always reverent in the presence of public idols, and his views are offense. Nevertheless, for humor, for piety, for cultivation, for literary skill, for deep thinking and high thinking there is no one to beat him in these states. Lost Her Character HE Germarfs prostituted both science and religion to a demented national ambition. The war will be over some day, but it will be no slight mat- ter to make an honest nation of Germany. She may be bled white, but can she be bled honest ? T the Feast of the Furies the human heart is the pidce de résistance, = Novice (to runaway): SAY, 1 DON’T LIKE To BUTT IN, BUT EAVEN is a place where the Lord pays the bills. WHERE ARE WE GOING? comicbooks.com