Life, 1917-03-22 · page 11 of 38
Life — March 22, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main illustration depicts "Great Americans" and specifically identifies **G. Wurke Hertz, whose brothers pay him a handsome income not to interfere in the business**—a satirical jab at a wealthy man kept out of family affairs for money. The accompanying text discusses **President Wilson's Cabinet**, with Rev. Newell Dwight Hillis suggesting Wilson should recruit better advisors (mentioning Root, Taft, and Roosevelt). The article critiques current cabinet members as lacking "atmosphere." A secondary section titled "No Cause for Alarm" discusses an English scientist's estimate that the world has fifteen million more years to live, using this absurdist premise to comment on American politics, defense, and governance with dark humor. The small illustration shows a figure with a rifle captioned "My Home Is in the Highlands."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
GREAT AMERICANS G, WURKE HERTZ, WHOSE BROTHERS PAY HIM A HANDSOME INCOME NOT TO INTERFERE A Revolutionary Idea Exploded HE Rev. Newell Dwight Hillis thinks that President Wilson ought to get a better Cabinet. He suggests Mr. Root, Mr. Taff and Colonel Roose- velt as a nucleus. There may be something in that. If, however, we are to put our coun- try on the basis that it shall only be governed by its best men, who can \ THE BUSINESS then be counted upon to make our speeches or write our «magazine ar- ticles? Remember that it is of vital impor- tance that we be amused. The present Cabinet have not been in office long enough to have acquired at- mosphere. And you cannot become a really first- class speaker or magazine writer un- less you have atmosphere. 475 We must go slow. With the price of food-stuffs advancing so rapidly, to cut off all our available sources of en- tertainment by putting good profes- sionals into high government positions might easily endanger the life of the Republic. And remember that this Republic is not like the proverbial cat—it has but one life to give to the world. No Cause for Alarm N English scientist has just esti- mated that the world has now only about fifteen million more years to live. This, of course, is sad news, but it need not necessarily be disheartening. Much can be done in fifteen million years, if we go about it with an earnest sense of duty. In fifteen million years, if we work properly, and as men and women really ought to work, we can do much toward putting New York in a state of de- fense. In fifteen million years—who knows? —we may convince President Wilson that a Cabinet composed almost en- tirely of pacifists, entirely surrounded by half-baked Congressmen, is a doubt- ful experiment in democracy. In fifteen million years we might arm our merchant ships. Dear! Dear! Do not let us be dis- couraged. “MY HAME IS IN THE HIGHLANDS” comicbooks.com