Life, 1917-06-28 · page 16 of 39
Life — June 28, 1917 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This WWI-era satirical page contains three distinct commentaries: **Top cartoons ("The Beach in War-Time"):** Mock civilian beach-goers oblivious to wartime dangers—mines and periscopes. The humor lies in their continued leisure activities despite military threats. **"A Bas Botticelli Court!"** attacks Greenwich Village artists petitioning to rename Macdougal Alley after Renaissance painter Botticelli. The satire criticizes artistic pretension and erasure of local history. It defends the working-class namesake Macdougal against elite cultural erasure. **Secretary McAdoo critique:** Defends Treasury Secretary William McAdoo (Wilson administration) against accusations of being "pro-German," listing legitimate grievances instead (partisan, Southern Democrat, friend to Wall Street enemies). **"Periscope Attachment" cartoon:** A soldier's overly-military response to a lost woman's simple direction-request—absurdist humor about military drilling. **Pulitzer Prizes & T.R. Cycle sections:** Joke about withholding prizes due to poor submissions, and cyclical nostalgia for Theodore Roosevelt's preparedness warnings.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE DISCOVERY OF MINES WILL DOUBTLESS BE FREQUENT shall not be the dominant nation on this globe. Meanwhile it seems as if the ad- ministration knockers ought to get up some more credible grievance against Secretary McAdoo than this one of being pro-German, He is an im- petuous person, apt to butt into what does not concern him, apt to excite hos- tilities in very worthy people, a par- tisan, a Southerner, a Democrat, a friend of Samuel Untermeyer, a thorn in the side of Wall Street, but as to being pro-German, at least he does not aikt52: E.S. M. A Bas Botticelli Court! r is possible (as reported) that the devotees of art who infest the south side of Washington Square have petitioned the authorities to change the name of Macdougal Alley, and have it read “ Botticelli Court”! Out on folks who want to chase old names off the map! Have they no | sentiment, these artist people? Mac- dougal needs the alley. Botticelli ad- vertises with chromos, and has had a‘*** brand of vermicelli named after bin also a five-cent cigar. His reputation is secure. But take the alley from Macdougal and within ten years folks will be asking who he was. And in ten years, like enough, the THE BEACH IN WAR-TIME artists will all have flitted from the alley, and “ Botticelli Court "—if the name is changed—will old clo’s, groceries and saloons, Keep Macdougal. Saturate him with art; that is the way. You may break, you may shatter the Macdougal vase if you will, but don’t do it! It is just as good a vase for fragrance to stick to as the other. be Lady (headed the wrong way) : WiLL YOU PLEASE TELL ME THE WAY 70 C TRAL PARK? Youth (just from military drill) : ADVANCE THE LEFT FOOT, TURN SQUARE! ON THE BALLS OF BOTH FEET, AND ST OFF IMMEDIATELY WITH THE LEFT FOOT. THE PERISCOPE ATTACH MENT FOR PRACTICAL JOKERS Let the Jury Have the Prizes HE Pulitzer prizes for the best American novel and the best American play (one thousand dollars apiece) were not awarded this year. There was no best novel and no be play—so the jury thought. Very well, but it scems a pity not to spend the money. Why not provide that, in case of no award, it shall go to the jury? If the novels and the plays are all bad, the jury is entitled to something more than sympathy. The T. R. Cycle ON’T you think if he had been in, things would have been differ- ent?” “Yes, he was about the first one to tell us how unprepared we were.” “Well, there’s one thing certain—he could raise an army quicker than any man in the country.” “Say! Teddy “Well, anyw tration started.’ s all right » he got the adminis- Encouraging P won't be long before everybody in this country will be working.” “T believe you. Even our office boy - is beginning to warm up a little.” comichooks.