Life, 1917-09-27 · page 25 of 40
Life — September 27, 1917 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate satirical pieces: **Top cartoon**: A domestic burglary scene where a police inspector tells a robbery victim to leave everything undisturbed for a week or ten days before investigating. The joke mocks police incompetence—the ironic suggestion that crime scenes should remain untouched indefinitely. **Bottom section**: Commentary on a Presidential response to the Pope, comparing its rhetorical structure to the Apostles' Creed. The satire notes that while the President's statement mimics religious language about conflict ("chose its own time for war; delivered its blow fiercely"), it awkwardly leaves "the enemy" defeated but standing—an incomplete theological parallel that undermines the statement's gravity. **Small cartoon**: An "optimist" argues a pleasant gentleman couldn't be a vivisectionist (animal experimenter), mocking naive character judgments. **Final anecdote**: Criticism of lengthy engagements—a social commentary on prolonged betrothals before marriage. The page reflects early 20th-century American satirical humor targeting bureaucratic inefficiency, political rhetoric, and social conventions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
il | Mf | I The victim: po YOU THINK THERE’S ANY HOPE OF APPREHENDING THE BURGLAR? “WELL, MUM, IT MAY BE A WEEK OR TEN DAYS BEFORE WE GET A CLUE, IN THE MEANTIME YE'D BETTER LEAVE EVERYTHING THE WAY IT IS.” The Optimist: A PLEASANT OLD GENTLEMAN LIKE THAT COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE A VIVISECTIONIST, COULD HE? Like the Creed 'HE passage in the President's answer to the Pope which begins, “which chose its own time for the war; de- livered its blow fiercely and suddenly,” had a cadence in its statements which made one say, “ What is this like?” It was like the Apostles’ Creed, but when it got to “ de- scended into hell” it left its subject there. At that point the picture reads, “and now stands balked but not defeated, the enemy of four-fifths of the world.” “YES, she accepted him nearly three weeks ago, and they are not married yet.” “What a pity! I never did believe in those long engage- ments.” comicbooks.com