Life, 1917-06-07 · page 14 of 42
Life — June 7, 1917 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Image**: A domestic scene showing Professor Willowby and his wife taking in an orphan girl. The caption explains they're becoming guardians to "the poor child." **"Residuum" Poem by Charlotte Becker**: This is a commentary on urban poverty and loss. It describes a tenement home where a grandmother once told stories to a child named Jeanne. Now "all are gone"—the mother and grandmother have died—and only the ruins of the building remain, with a crucifix still standing among the wreckage. **Two Smaller Cartoons**: "The Germans' Burden" (right) shows a figure struggling under weight, likely satirizing Germany's imperial ambitions or war responsibilities. The page contrasts charity (the Willowbys taking in an orphan) with the darker reality of widespread poverty and loss depicted in Becker's poem—a common Life magazine theme addressing social inequality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WILLOWBYS' WARD PROFESSOR WILLOWBY AND HIS WIFE UNDERTAKE THE GUARDIANSHIP OF THE ORPHAN DAUGHTER OF AN OLD FRIEND. THE POOR CHILD ACCEPTS AN INVITATION TO MAKE HER HOME WITH THEM Residuum EFORE the vandals came this was a home, And daily, ‘neath the cross, a woman prayed, While grand’mére, knitting by the chimney-place, Told little Jeanne quaint tales of Jeanne the Maid. Now all are gone—the mother, little Jeanne And brave old grand’mére, Only, where the bricks Fell in a smould’ring mass, one bit of wall Still stands, and holds, unharmed, the crucifix! Charlotte Becker. THE GERMANS’ BURDEN comicbooks.com