Life, 1917-07-05 · page 14 of 40
Life — July 5, 1917 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct sections: **Upper illustration**: A domestic scene showing a man asking someone to move away from a mirror, fearing he'll break it—a visual joke playing on superstition about mirrors and bad luck. **"Law-Making" article**: A serious editorial discussing how laws should reflect what people actually want, rather than imposing unwanted restrictions. It argues that "foolish" laws requiring enforcement (police, jails, judges) waste resources. **"A Whole-Hog Prussian" section**: References General von Bissing, apparently a Prussian military figure whose job "despoiling Belgium was so painful to him." This appears to be WWI-era satire criticizing Prussian/German conduct in occupied Belgium—mocking the notion that destructive occupation caused the occupier distress rather than the occupied population. The page combines light domestic humor with sharp political commentary on military aggression.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
14 Life’s “Song for America” Contest closed on June 18th, and the work of reading and selection has been going on ever since. The delay in announc- ing the result is due to the care taken by the judges. The total period dur- ing which the contest was open was thirty-four days, and in this period four thousand six hundred and one contributions were received. The name of the winner of the five-hundred- dollar prize will be announced in our next issue. Law-Making AKING laws is the most ticklish of all professions, and lawmakers are entitled to all the salary, emolu- ments, perquisites, etcetera, that they can secure, grab or otherwise acquire. All laws may be divided into two classes: those the people want and those the people do not want. It is foolish to make laws that the people do not want, because then we are put to endless trouble in upholding those laws —trouble which entails the hiring of policemen, detectives and judges, the building of jails, peniten- tiaries, and so on. If, on the other hand, we make laws which the people want, then we are do- “ MOVE A LITTLE TO THE RIGHT, PLEASE. I HATE TO TAKE A CHANCE OF BREAKING THAT MIRROR” ENDORSING A CHECK Bano ing an unnecessary thing, for if the people want to act in a certain way they will do it without law. This eternal dilemma takes all the happiness out of law-making. A Whole-Hog Prussian THER = was a supposition that Gen- eral von Bissing pined away and died because the job of devilling Bel- gium was so painful to him. The job was unhealthy, no doubt; spiritually poisonous; but the recent posthumous publication of von Bis- sing’s last views about it upsets this kindly theory that it did not suit him. He went the whole Prussian hog about Belgium, endorsed the invasion and deprecated any foolish policy of let- ting go of that country or letting up on its inhabitants. There seems to be only one way to cure a Prussian war-master. comicbooksteon