Life — May 10, 1917 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This appears to be a WWI-era LIFE magazine page (page 842) addressing publication challenges during wartime. The editorial text "We Have Had to Abandon" explains that LIFE has discontinued pre-planned special issues and sidetracked regular content to focus on current events. It emphasizes this is "the most interesting period in the history of the world" and urges readers to "Reflect and Obey that impulse"—essentially asking them to stay engaged with urgent wartime news. The illustration shows two figures in military dress: one appears to be a young soldier, the other an older authority figure (possibly representing editorial leadership or patriotic duty) placing a hand on the soldier's shoulder with the caption "My Boy, Obey That Impulse." The message conflates magazine reading with patriotic duty during the war.