Life, 1918-01-31 · page 26 of 40
Life — January 31, 1918 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece attacks what the author calls "hysternalism"—a coinage blending "hysteria" and "paternalism" to criticize Congressional overreach during World War I. The main target is **William Jennings Bryan** and Representative Claude Kitchin, who advocated for prohibition. The author mocks their approach as emotional rather than logical, claiming they prioritize domestic legislation (banning alcohol, regulating napkins) over actual war strategy. The cartoon depicts a soldier with a telescope observing enemy positions, while on the ground soldiers charge forward—visual metaphor for misplaced priorities. The small dialogue at page's bottom between a "Pacifist" and the "Head Devil" satirizes pacifists' complaints about being grouped with Germans ("Huns"). The piece suggests pacifists and war-resisters belong together morally. The satire's core: these reformers mistake legislative control for military competence, substituting "hysteria" for pragmatic warmaking.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Hysternalism EW names are constantly being in- vented to express some new con- dition cither of thought or science. Nothing yet having been set forth to describe the condition existing in Con- gress, as illustrated by the vote on pro- hibition, we humbly suggest the word ysternalism—this being a combination of hysteria and pater: m. Paternalism, pure and simple, has its merits. It lays a fatherly hand on its sons and tells them gently what they shall or shall not do for the benefit of the majorit But when Mr. Bryan enters—that is to » when hysteria enters—then we have hysternalism. “MAMA'S noy What Mr. Bryan and Claude Kitchin and a few other chosen spirits now wish to do is to make hysternalism universal. So far as we in this country are con- cerned, the war, of course, will be won by hysternalism. On Mr. Bryan’s apo- dictic principle of a million men spring- ing to their broomsticks over night, we shall conquer the world by the mere force of our legislative acts. The first step is to keep liquor out of our side- boards and put a double tax on all the salaried men. After this the way is easy. Anybody who doesn’t tuck his napkin under his chin after the first day of March, 1918, will have his property confiscated. Some misguided people may ask, What has prohibition, or the regula- tion of napkins, or the various opinions expressed daily in the Congressional Record to do with the winning of the war? The answer is, of course, that hys- ternalism is more important than any- thing else. We may perish, but we must be hysternalistic. recent arrival in PpAcest (a Hades): Look here! You have put me with all those Huns! Heap Devi: Well, isn’t that where you belong? “But they say they won't for it.” stand