Life, 1917-02-08 · page 30 of 42
Life — February 8, 1917 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
## The Cartoon The illustration depicts Mrs. Noah (wife of the biblical Noah) complaining that their cook has abandoned them upon reaching land after the flood. This is a visual pun on "Emancipation Day"—the cook, likely represented as an enslaved or servant figure, has seized freedom upon arrival. ## The Context This page addresses World War I atrocities. The editorial calls for Americans to observe "Emancipation Day" (February 25th, near Washington's Birthday) to protest Prussian military crimes: the enslavement of Belgian workers and the Armenian massacre. The cartoon sardonically suggests that even Noah's servant understood emancipation—a pointed comment on Germany's moral degradation and America's duty to denounce it. The secondary articles discuss naming newly-purchased Virgin Islands (advocating "Seward Islands" after Secretary Seward's Alaska purchase) and Congressional debate over state department transparency. The satire works by contrasting Noah's domestic inconvenience with the massive human suffering occurring in Europe, suggesting American indifference is absurd.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mrs. Noah: THERE, SHEM, 1 KNEW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, WE NO SOONER SIGHT LAND THAN COOK LEAVES US IN THE LURCH. Emancipation Day To the Editor of Lire: Belgium! Little, neutral Belgium! In- vaded, shattered, oppressed, and now be- ing dragged to slavery ! In the face of these continued atroci- ties can Live's readers remain silent and apathetic? Can they be neutral to such hideous wrongs? I believe that they can- not and above all should not. Therefore they are hereby asked to do all they can to promote in their respective communi- ties the observance of February 22nd, or the Sunday following, February 25th, as Emancipation Day. ‘Americans of ‘this day and generation, are you going to nullify the glorious rec- ords of your forefathers, or will you rise to this God-given opportunity of again espousing the cause of righteousness and liberty? These two days, Washington's Birthday and Sunday, February 2sth, have been selected as days for the na- tion, as a whole, to raise its voice in denunciation of the crimes perpetrated, not by the German people, but by the Prussian military caste. Lire, with others, believes that the time has come for the American people to express in an unmistakable manner: 1—Their abhorrence of the methods employed by the Prussian government in conducting the present war, of its treat- ment of Belgium, and especially of the two unspeakable atrocities, the enslave- ment of Belgian workmen and the mas- sacre of Armenians, crimes which Amer- icans cannot and must.not countenance. 2—Thceir intense feeling that they can- not be on friendly terms with a govern- ment that has degraded itself to the level of a murderer and outlaw; a government which recognizes no laws or obligations, save its own “ necessity.” Churches are especially urged to set aside Sunday, February 25th, for the ob- servance of Emancipation Day, dedicat- ing their contributions for actual relief work and adopting, either at the regular service or an after-meeting, resolutions ve of their abhorrence of the in atrocities. It will be announced later where such resolutions and contri- butions can be sent. It is hoped that schools, colleges, social and other organizations, especially labor bodies, will take similar action in order that America’s position may no longer be in doubt. Montclair, N. J. FEN, Call Them “Seward Islands” HE suggestion has been made to call the islands bought from Denmark the “ Dewey Islands.” Call them “ Seward Islands,” says the Globe, and it is a good suggestion. The West Indies were not in Admiral Dewey’s bailiwick, whereas the acquisition of St. Thomas vindicates that constant policy of Secretary Seward, of which the most brilliant fruit was the purchase of Alaska, ADICALS in Congress demanded the secrets of the department, but the sober element would consent to no such departure from the ordinary usages. “Wall Street will clean up a hundred millions if these secrets are allowed to leak out in the usual way, and though we are a very rich nation we can’t af- ford to annihilate so much wealth at one fell stroke!” the sober element pointed out, with such cogency as could not help but carry conviction, comicbooks.com