Life, 1917-09-06 · page 36 of 40
Life — September 6, 1917 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines wartime advertising with satirical commentary on pacifism during World War I. **The Main Advertisement:** A Colt Firearms ad featuring two soldiers uses patriotic language ("Ready for Duty," "Preservation of Law and Order") to market weapons to the government and public. The ad invokes military necessity and national defense. **The Satirical Article ("Nothing to Be Proud of"):** The text criticizes the American Union Against Militarism, a real anti-war organization that helped conscientious objectors avoid the draft. The satire argues that future generations will be ashamed to admit their ancestors belonged to this group—contrasting it unfavorably with prestigious patriotic societies (Sons of the American Revolution, etc.) founded by Revolutionary War fighters. **The Irony:** The page juxtaposes pro-military advertising with criticism of pacifists, reflecting the magazine's position supporting WWI participation. The satire suggests that avoiding military service is dishonorable, even cowardly. **"Garden Perils" poem** (top right) appears to be humorous nature verse, unrelated to the war content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Garden Perils AM not easy in my imind About you, Mistress Carrie, When you walk down your yarden path And by your flowers tarry. I fear me that you run a risk Of peril great and dire, From many an unexpected source In petal, vine and briar. O pray, beware the Mermaid F. Who lurks there in the She carries in her shining ts An Arrowhead to fling. Reware as well the Dragon Green ith gnashing teeth and js He and the Spotted Touch-Me-Not Prefer their meat quite raw. Heed well, I beg. the Snake-Mouth fierce, Whose poison's brewed by witches; | Night-flowering Catch-Flies guard his den, Concealed in Dutchman's Breeches. Look out when Trichostema Dich- | Otomum shakes her curls, For Lance-Leaved Violet knows the sign, | le Froven Best | ‘And quick his weapon h Revolvers “ “vernmene Fest 2 Automatic Pistols utomatic Machine Guns N the Battlefield—In the Preservation of Law and Order —The Protection of Home and Country —Whenever and Wherever Armies or In- dividuals Have Had to Enforce Right with Might —COLT’S FIREARMS have been creating, building and maintaining a reputation for merit, efficiency and reliability that has resulted in a position of unquestioned superiority. You make no mistake when you follow the Government's example and adopt COLT’S for YOUR Firearm needs 6 MAILED FREE ON REQUEST COLT’S PATENT FIREARMS MFG. CO. HARTFORD, CONN. THE ANIMAL PAINTER CATALOG NO, A DRINK THAT EVERYONE | CAN TAKE AND ENJOY QN900 Nothing to Be Proud of HE American Union Against Militarism, prominent in which society are Rabbi Stephen Tied Rev. John Haynes Holmes, Jane Addams, Roger N. Baldwin, Paul U. Kellogg and Zona Gale, has recently sent out letters enquiring how the person who has conscientious objections to the war can escape being drafted into it against his will. There is grave doubt whether, after the war is over, a membership in this society will be sought as cagerly as is membership in the Order of the Cincinnati, the Society of Colonial Dames, or the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution—all of them societies made possible by men who fought 10 free this nation from the torturing talons of autocracy. In fact, it is highly proba- Ile that the descendants of the founders of the American Union Against Militarism will be bitterly ashamed of having it known that any of their relatives belonged to that organization. NO GOVERNMENT LICENSE REQUIRED Your Beater or write tC, Hl. PVANS & SONS, Hadion, \. Vs