Life, 1917-08-30 · page 37 of 40
Life — August 30, 1917 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes American attitudes toward military preparedness and patriotism during World War I. The main cartoon (bottom) depicts a father and son, with the caption "The First Time You Hear Your Son Refer to You as the Old Man"—a humorous observation about generational change. The featured article promotes *The Junior Plattsburg Manual*, a military training book for boys, positioning youth militarization as character-building. Most sharply, "A Remedy for Conscientious Objectors" viciously mocks draft resisters, dehumanizing them as low mollusks without spines. The article sarcastically proposes erecting monuments to objectors—topped with frightened rabbits or chickens—to shame them into compliance. This represents mainstream wartime hostility toward pacifists. The "Sad Answer" anecdote satirizes war profiteers: a food speculator tells his son he "did the people" during WWI—a dark pun on wartime corruption. Together, these pieces reflect 1918 America's intolerant stance toward dissent and its embrace of aggressive patriotism and youth militarization.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
tion is y story 3) that ily told xciting rinative apture. ig love nystery ng love WN) New York For We Shall Need Them The boys of America, we mean. Captains E. B. Garey and O. O. Ellis, U. S. A., authors of the now famous handbook on military train- ing for men, “The Plattsburg Manual,” have written a similar book especially for boys. Its ob- ject is not primarily to make young soldiers; it is to help make, through the course of military training specifically outlined, straight bodies, straight minds, and straight morals; to help develop American boys into physically sound, ag- gressive, characterful men already in possession of the rudiments of the training necessary for the de- fense of their country. It is called THE JUNIOR PLATTSBURG MANUAL By Captains E. B. Garey and O. O. Ellis, U. S. A. All Bookstores. —_IMllastrated. $1.50. Published by THE CENTURY CO., New York A Remedy for Conscientious Objectors HE Conscientious Objector is a low form of mollusk that attaches him- self heavily to a community and makes himself into a dead-weight whenever he is required to do something that may cause him any severe discomfort or annoyance. Like other mollusks, he has no spine; but his impervious shell or hide prevents him from feeling any verbal attacks that may be made on him. Most Conscientious Objectors are unaware that they have consciences until it becomes necessary for them to risk their lives to protect their country. Every nation develops Conscientious Objectors in time of war; but they are usually known as cowards or quitters, and forgottep when the war ends. In order that the sons and daughters of brave, honorable and patriotic men may be protected from cowards and their descendants, each community should erect a statue to its Conscientious Ob- jectors, with the name of each Ob- jector carefully inscribed on the statue’s base. The statue’s shaft could he surmounted by the likeness of a frightened rabbit, a picked chicken, or something equally appropriate. With the prospect of such a memorial star- ing him in the face, a Conscientious Objector wouldn't object one-tenth as conscientiously. THE FIRST TIME YOU HEAR YOUR SON REFER TO YOU AS THE OLD MAN 43rd and 44th Sts. and Madison Ave. Italian Sunken Gardens $ Fountains, flowers, music and tea i rooms. Wit seaey Sad Answer Joseph Leiter, president of the Army League, said in a Chicago address “Speculation in the food of the people may be pardonable in times of peace, but in war-time it is heinous. After the Allies’ victory, the downfall of the Ho henzollerns and Hapsburgs, and the in- auguration of a permanent world peace, I can imagine a little boy saying to his father, a rich food profiteer: “Daddy, what did you do in the great World War?’ “*My son, I did the people.” | —Detroit Free Press. amining the class in physiology. “Mary, you tell us,” she asked, “ what is the function of the stomach?” “The function of the stomach,” the little girl answered, “is to hold up the petticoa “urrent Opinion, “(NET off that wire!” angrily shouted the man at the tele- Phone. “ My bvsiness is far more im- portant than yours, I'm ordering a year’s subscription to Lire.” BELL- ANS Indigestion. One package proves it. 25c at all druggists. For Wear —“‘Capewell” Horse Nails! No nail is so certain to hold a shoe and wear long. is so safe and easy to drive as The Capewell. Tested, and proved the world's be Quality and service con: sidered, the cheapest. Make sure your horses are shod with Th pewell—there’s a dis- tinct adv OF BRAINS | Hi | Ccre2 AGAR -MADE AT KEY WEST— comicbooks.com