Life, 1917-08-02 · page 15 of 40
Life — August 2, 1917 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top illustration, labeled "The Willowbys' Ward," depicts a military or official gathering, though the specific historical context isn't clear from the image alone. Below this is a poem titled "Willie Lamb: a War-Time Portrait" by Charles Hanson Towne. The poem describes Willie Lamb as a frivolous young man—beautiful but weak, compared to mythological figures like Ariel or Dorian Gray. The satire suggests that despite his shallow nature and love of Broadway entertainment, Lamb patriotically left to fight in France during wartime. The accompanying illustration shows a sailor or soldier figure in water, captioned "Buoys WILL BE BUOYS"—a pun on the phrase "boys will be boys," mocking Lamb's transformation from entertainer to soldier. The overall piece appears to satirize young men who abandon shallow peacetime pursuits for military service.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WILLOWBYS' WARD. 9 IT IS NOW THREE-THIRTY. THE PROFESSOR WAS SUPPOSED TO ATTEND A MEETING OF THE FACULTY AT TWO. Willie Lamb: a War-Time Portrait E danced through life, through many a cabaret. At Babylonian feasts he graced the floor, While the loud orchestra its chords would pour Like crimson wine, until the break of day. His face was young—and weak. We used to say, “Here is one made for laughter—nothing more; A lad whose pagan beauty we deplore, An Ariel, or perhaps a Dorian Gray.” Yet high above the music of the dance, Young Lamb had heard the bugles Over There; And while we sat and dreamed in a strange trance, He left the shallow Broadway ‘glitter and glare, And gave hi boyish heart to stricken France. Ah! call him light and foolish—if you dare! Charles Hanson Towne. “BUOYS WILL BE BUOYS” comicbooks.com