Life, 1917-03-08 · page 17 of 42
Life — March 8, 1917 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Section - "Great Americans":** The caption identifies "Montagul Featherstone Hawley" as someone whose name was legislatively changed from "Schwein" (German for "pig"). This is WWI-era anti-German satire, mocking Americans of German descent who Americanized their names to avoid suspicion during wartime tensions. **Middle Section - "According to the Initials":** A dark joke predicting that if European war continues, all nations listed (Belgium, England, Greece, Germany, Austria, Russia, Serbia) will become "Belgium"—likely meaning they'll be destroyed/invaded like Belgium was, or reduced to similar devastation. **Bottom Right - "How to Mix a Musical Comedy":** A cartoon showing "Suggestiveness" poured into a glass labeled "Girls," implying that musical comedies were formulaic combinations of attractive women and innuendo—contemporary commentary on Broadway entertainment conventions. The poetry sections appear to be contemporary literary contributions unrelated to the satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
GREAT AMERICANS MONTAGUL FEATHERSTONE HAWLEY, WHO HAD HIS NAME CHAD GISLATURE FROM SCHWEIN Destruction ZATH the calm stood, and her head She raised with her eyes full of wonder, “Those clouds go to where?” shyly I said, “My love, they are going to thun- der!" sunset we And so Alonzo L. Ri According to the Initials F the warring nations continue they will all get to be Belgium England Greece. Germany Austria Russia Servia Sleep AM Sleep, Gray nimb of death, Impresario of hushed spectacles, Sculptor of trans-carthly colossi That I work with thumb and forefinger in the plasms of your brain. Now T woo you to the infoliate depth of my utter shadow, And you who were chin-deep in time and brain-deep in eternity Float at the bottom of a waveless sea toward vortices of silence. The pomp and fascinating necromancy of the invisible C. That you called the world And the hooded and noiseless ghosts that held parliament in your ar- teries That you called your self ant, with all their tinsel and their goods, to Nullibicty For I am Sleep, the landless ocean, Sinister aquarium of the dead. Benjamin de Casseres. Hopeful R. NEWLYWED POORM/ What do you think about putting up a five-foot shelf for books? His Littte Brive: Do. We ought easily to be able to borrow that many. HOW TO MIX A MUSICAL COMEDY comicbooks.com