Life, 1917-06-07 · page 16 of 42
Life — June 7, 1917 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **satirical war propaganda** from World War I. The left column mocks American pacifism by parodying a travel advertisement for Germany—presenting it as a vacation destination while obliquely referencing warfare ("big game season now open," "hunting begins the day you arrive"). It mentions Colonel Roosevelt as a recruiting agent, likely Theodore Roosevelt, who advocated American entry into WWI. The cartoon shows soldiers or military men in what appears to be casual conversation, with the caption asking how one feels after killing. This darkly satirizes the reality of combat versus sanitized recruitment rhetoric. The right column, "What Waste Is," pivots to serious moralizing about conservation during wartime, citing Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore's criticism of American wastefulness. It frames frugality as patriotic duty—not hoarding but spending wisely during national need. Together, the page juxtaposes bitter satire about enlisting with earnest calls for home-front sacrifice.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: See Germany First! Why Explore America When You Can Join One of Uncle Sam’s Personally Conducted Tours to the Land of the Hohenzollerns? UNDER THE AMERICAN FLAG! Germany, the vacation land, is an ideal place to spend the summer if you enjoy life in the country. Magnificent views. Bracing air, purified with chlorine. Glorious appetite. Cooler than the Jersey Shore. No hay, no hay-féver. Spend July and August in the Harz Mountains, the Swit- zerland of Prussia. Through service by daily steamers between American ports and Somewhere in France. Refreshing sea trips with interesting shore visits. Low summer fares earlier this year because of the Pots- dam Exhibition. A 3,500-mile trip and not a dull moment. Liberal stop-over privileges. Arrange your affairs so that you may stay longer than you intend. Wireless service on ali River Rhine night lines. Exquisite submarine views. A visit to historic Berlin will put new pep in your system. ALL OUTDOOR SPORTS Tenting. Target shooting. Tramping. Motoring. Riding. Mountain climbing. Swimming. BIG GAME SEASON NOW OPEN An unusual opportunity for hunting in the most primitive part of Europe. Hunting begins the day you arrive. STOP WITH US at the Hotel von Trench, where you will find everything conducive to a lively sojourn. Fireworks Every Night. co caAMPING! Enjoy life in the open under skies of Prussian blue. We furnish saddle and pack horses and camp outfit. A progressive vacation from camp to camp is just the thing for a man who desires to get away from the hum- drum workaday grind and escape the formalities of social life at hotel resorts. An ideal region where good fellowship rather than style prevails. Get acquainted with real savages. Explore the Black Forest. The fascinations of hidden trails will lure you. All sleeping accommodations outside with ample ventila- tion, Al fresco meals prepared by Uncle Sam’s own chefs. Music seven nights a week by the famous Boche Saengerbund. Hiking parties accommodated. Let the Uncle Sam Travel Bureau arrange your vacation tour in the Kaiser’s famous all-year scenic wonderland. All expenses included. For detailed information, apply to Colonel Roosevelt, Oyster Bay, N. Y., advance agent, or at any recruiting office, LLH.R. What Waste Is HE occupation of learning how to save will be a new one for the American people, but it will have to be learned, How best to learn it? Sir Rabindranath Tagore, on a recent visit to this country, remarked that America was the only country in the world where the bread crusts were thrown away, In order to understand the principle of waste, it must first be remembered that there is a sense in which noth- ing is wasted, because all matter is indestructible, and only form counts. What we waste, therefore, is not so much the substance of things as the labor that others have put into them, and herein lies the crying shame. It is a shameful and immoral thing in time of need deliber- ately to throw away the product of another’s labor. The spirit of right saving can easily be acquired if this principle be kept in view. And along with this should come also the idea not to hoard but to spend our money fréely and sensibly to get the best results. When we waste, however, no matter how trivial that waste may appear to be, we are robbing another. When there is plenty, we do not stop to consider this. When there is not plenty, then we realize what our deficiency has been. And a sensible and moral people, knowing what its deficiencies are, always does its best to remedy them. “HOW WOULD YOU FEEL, COLONEL, AFTER KILLING A MAN?” “OH, 1 DON'T KNOW, DOCTOR; HOW DO YoU FEEL?” comicbooks.com