Life, 1917-05-17 · page 11 of 35
Life — May 17, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two pieces of WWI-era political commentary: **The illustration** depicts what appears to be a military scene with officers and civilians discussing a woman's height, with dialogue about her being "a head taller than I am." **"Joffre"** (left) is a poem by Christopher Morley praising French General Joseph Joffre, who commanded French forces during WWI. It celebrates him as a heroic leader ("immortal breed") who held back the German advance ("stopped the Hun"). **"Be Careful!"** (right) is a cautionary editorial warning American leaders against rushing into military involvement. It references specific pro-German senators (Stone and Clark) and expresses concern that hasty American intervention might offend French allies still fighting. The piece advocates slow, measured support rather than dramatic military commitment. The overall page reflects American debate over involvement in the ongoing European war.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ THERE IS ONE THING THAT TROUBLES ME, OLD FELLOW. SHE'S A HEAD TALLER THAN I AM. DO. YOU THINK I OUGHT 0 LOVE HER?” “suRE! I'D LOVE HER ALL I WANTED TO, BUT I WOULDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT 1.” OST puissant captain, you who stopped the Hun, Held France's heart secure in your broad palm, And when all Europe staggered, gravely calm Retired, retired, retired, then turned, and won— Old simple captain, of immortal breed, The father of your poilus in the trench, Satan himself could not dismay the French While Joffre—cher Papa Joffre—was there to lead! In cloak and spur the Prussian goes to war— With medal, cross and epaulette arrayed; But Joffre? His tunic needs no golden braid : See honor shining on him like a star! Christopher Morley. P 1S FOR PACIFIST Be Careful ! UNLESS we are careful we may do some- thing soon to help out the Allies. At present there seems to be a movement on foot to supply England—eventually—with food, and to supply France—eventually—with men. It is true that if we do this, and do it quickly enough, Germany may be utterly de- feated. We must therefore be careful; for it must not be forgotten that some of our leading men are somewhat opposed to the thought of Germany's defeat. For example, Senator Stone, who still retains his position as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Com- mittee, is distinctly pro-German. And Champ Clark, who hails from Missouri and will probably take up his residence in Berlin after his Congressional term expires, believes that a conscripted soldier is on the same plane with a convict. To rush madly ahead and really help the Allies might offend these eminent gentlemen. As all Frenchmen are not yet killed, let us go slow. comicbooks.com