Life, 1917-03-08 · page 18 of 42
Life — March 8, 1917 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains multiple satirical pieces typical of Life's editorial approach: **Main Cartoon (Belgium):** Depicts a grieving woman (Belgium personified, referencing Byron's poem) mourning over fallen soldiers. This reflects WWI devastation and Belgium's suffering under German occupation. **"Got It Wrong":** Criticizes George Viereck, editor of *Fatherland* magazine (renamed *The New World*). The piece attacks Viereck as a German propagandist masquerading as American, suggesting his loyalties lie with Germany rather than the United States—a serious accusation during the pre-WWI period when German-American sympathies were contentious. **"Too Much Safety First":** Argues the popular "Safety First" slogan, while well-intentioned, risks creating timid, risk-averse citizens—a critique of overcautious social policy. **Minor Pieces:** Include jokes about contortionism, atoms/electrons, and marriage proposal reactions—typical light humor filler. The page reflects American anxieties about German influence and national identity during the early 20th century.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ The Niobe of nations! there she stands, Childless and crownless in her voiceless woe.” Too Much Safety First Is it not true that the Safety First idea may be carried too far? The logical result would be to make a gen- eration of mollycoddles. Safety First, so far as it conserves life and limb, so far as it protects workers who are occupied in skilled employments, or so far as the public in being transported is entitled to protection—this is all ad- mirable and highly necessary. But the psychological power of any expression —Byron, constantly repeated should not be un- derestimated. The constant repetition of this cautious slogan has the effect of making us shrink from any conse- quences. Thus if we applied the idea, we would in time to come have timid business men, timid housewives, timid soldiers, timid statesmen. MAr®: I spend as much as you do. Atice: Perhaps; but I have less to show for the money. Got It Wrong EORGE VIERECK’S Fatherland has changed its name and is now The New World. It is a mistaken title. “The Old World” is what he should have called it, and he should adopt Coelum non animum for its motto. The great majority of German- Americans in this country are real Americans. German sympathies run in their blood, but at a pinch they will line up against Germany and for the United States. But George seems to be a fake American. He is a German for Germany sixteen hours a day, and if he is American at all it must be when he is asleep. A Contortionist RS. WILLIS: George, what do you think! Baby can put his foot in his mouth. Mr. Wituts: Fine. With an accom- plishment like that when he grows up, he won't mind sleeping in an upper berth at all. “ QAY, father, an electron is so smal that seventeen hundred of ‘them could get into an atom without crowd- ing.” “And how small, my son, is an atom?” “Wait until I get the atomizer.” “DID HE START ANYTHING WHEN YOU ASKED IF YOU COULD MARRY HIS DAUGH- Ter?” “1 SHOULD SAY so. SHAKE MY HAND OFF.” HE STARTED TO : comicbooks.com