Life — February 15, 1917 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 256 This page contains satirical commentary on dog ownership during wartime (likely WWI era, given European war references). The main cartoon shows two well-dressed men examining a dog, captioned "Prosperous Pacifist: and by the way, Mars, make this suit roomy. If the war in Europe keeps up, I'll grow stouter than ever." The satire mocks wealthy civilians who profit from war while remaining personally uninvolved—suggesting their prosperity and comfort will increase their girth. The poem "Dumb Influences" humorously catalogs the chaos caused by owning a dog in an apartment building, listing damages and social consequences. Below are two unrelated sections: "Things We Skip in Newspapers" (listing tedious wartime coverage) and "They Haven't Come Back" (listing borrowed items neighbors won't return), typical satirical observations on civilian wartime life and social friction.