Life, 1917-04-12 · page 13 of 42
Life — April 12, 1917 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine (page 629) contains two distinct pieces: **Top cartoon** ("Nowhere to Go But Out"): Shows a figure standing before a massive dark storm or cloud, gesturing helplessly. The image suggests futility or being trapped with no options. **Middle section** ("A Common Difficulty"): Satirizes people who don't think before speaking—those who make snap judgments on important matters without reflection. It critiques this as widespread behavior. **Bottom section** ("In the German School"): An acrostic poem using "BELGIUM" to list atrocities allegedly taught in German schools—including blood staining Flanders, exiles, whipping, gallows, and other brutalities. This appears to be WWI-era anti-German propaganda. **Right cartoon** ("The Bully"): Shows a figure confronting a dog, with caption "Hello, you big stiff!" This appears to be a separate satirical sketch about bullying or confrontation. The page reflects early 20th-century American political satire and wartime messaging.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NOWHERE TO GO BUT OUT A Common Difficulty PROGREss would be a much more speedy affair if so many people didn’t think it proper to make up their minds without thinking. Usually the bigger the question the less they think it necessary to waste gray matter upon it. That's why so many people are always ready at a moment's notice with sage observations on important affairs, and why these observations are usually valueless to anyone who really wishes to know something. In the German School B for the Blood that Stains all Flanders Red. E for the Exile Brooding o'er Her Dead. L for the Lash on the Unhappy Slave. G for the Gallows at the Convent Door. I for the Innocence No Girl Could Save. U for the Unborn, Better No Wife Bore. M for the Last Sad Mercy of the Grave. The Bully: weit, you nic stirr! comicbooks.com