Life — March 8, 1917 — page 19: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes early 20th-century international politics through six cartoons: **Top sections** mock German-Irish relations and diplomatic tensions, depicting characters in formal dress engaged in awkward interactions. **"German Diplomatic Break"** shows diplomats wading into water, sarcastically suggesting peace negotiations are welcoming ("water's fine"). **"Spirit of the Pacifist"** depicts a ghostly, chaotic figure amid conflict—mocking pacifist movements as ineffectual amid real tensions. **"Turkey's Candidate for Nobel Peace Prize"** presents a militaristic Ottoman figure, sarcastically suggesting Turkey's warlike stance contradicts peace ideals. **Bottom cartoons** address labor and political absurdities: one shows government negotiations over servant wages; another depicts a figure walking in circles, suggesting futile political maneuvering. The overall theme: Life ridicules diplomatic pretense, pacifism, and government hypocrisy during a period of international instability.