Life, 1918-01-31 · page 16 of 40
Life — January 31, 1918 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon:** A couple debates paying $3 for theatre tickets, justifying the expense not for entertainment quality but for warmth—likely referencing wartime heating shortages or economic hardship during WWI. **Main Article:** "American Answers to Some Foreign Comment" defends American neutrality and later war involvement against European criticism. It responds to accusations that Americans were cowardly ("too proud to fight"), greedy ("dollar chasers"), and profiteering from war. The piece references 1773 (American Revolution), appeals to American exceptionalism and self-sufficiency, and promotes Liberty Bonds as patriotic duty. The reference to "Wilhelm" means Kaiser Wilhelm II, indicating this was published during U.S. involvement in WWI. **Bottom cartoon:** Shows a dog with a puzzle—apparently shells (ammunition) somehow contained without breaking, likely satirizing industrial production or the logistics of war manufacture. The page overall promotes American patriotism and financial support for the war effort.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
She: pO YOU THINK WE OUGHT TO PAY THREE DOLLARS EACH FOR THOSE THEATRE TICKETS? “THEY'RE WORTH IT! THE PLAY MAY NOT BE ANY GOOD, BUT WE WILL BE WARM FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS.” American Answers to Some Foreign Comment HEY said we were “too proud to fight”! Well, it’s a kind of family pride which dates back to 1773! They said we forgot to return some of our first neighbor- hood calls! We thought we'd wait until we could bring our family with us! They said we were “dollar chasers”! So we are; and as fast as we catch one we send it to France, where they aren't so easy to catch! They say that we “ fatten on the war”! We are the only country on the map that can feed the armies of most of the fighting nations of Europe and still have enough for those at home. We are the most fortunate nation on earth, We are blessed with a self-supporting land and a self-forgetful people. We can not only raise an army big enough to take the “hel” out of Wilhelm, but each American has the right and privilege to help pay the bills. Buy a Liberty Bond and be a real American dollar chaser! SAU purchased the mess of pottage. “T thought I could get a pound of sugar with it,” he explained. ii Al “BUT HOW DID THEY EVER GET IN THE SHELLS WITH OUT BREAKIN’ 'EM?”