Life, 1918-02-07 · page 29 of 40
Life — February 7, 1918 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"Barbarossa and Hohenzollern"** compares medieval German King Frederick Barbarossa (depicted as bold and battle-ready) with Kaiser Wilhelm II (current German ruler during WWI). The satire mocks Wilhelm for staying safely behind lines, avoiding danger like colds or mussed hair, unlike his legendary predecessor. This reflects contemporary criticism of WWI military leadership. **"Too Many Cooks"** cartoon shows women (likely representing Allied nations—labeled "France," "England," "Italy," and "Unity") celebrating finding a "real cook," satirizing hope that unified leadership will improve the war effort. **"Chinese Labor"** section discusses importing Chinese workers to address American labor shortages during WWI, but argues against it due to "race suicide"—reflecting 1910s xenophobic concerns about ethnic mixing and demographic change. The lighter jokes about "free verse" and "bigamy" provide comic relief unrelated to war content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Barbarossa and Hohenzollern HEN Frederick Barbarossa Rode out to war’s alarms, His beard of red was far ahead Of all his men-at-arms; And where the foe was thickest King Frederick would be, Dispensing cracks with battle-axe And roaring loud in glee, But William Hohenzollern, Who now fills Frederick’s shoes, Is not so kcen on being seen Where one might get a bruise. Far, far behind his armies He guards himself with care: He'd be upset if he should get A cold, or muss his hair. Well, times are ever changing, And customs, too, I know: It’s not au fait in war to-day For kings to strike a blow; And yet I can't help wishing That Will would emulate The hardy, rough and knightly stuff That made old Frede great. If William Hohenzollern, In search of royal fun, Should try to scud through sticky mud And still a Lewis gun, Or seek to club in person A Boyle from Cherry Hill, We'd all have cause for loud applause— For that would finish Will. Chinese Labor UDGE GARY says the Germans are going strong the war, and that we are not going strong enough; not nearly, He says we have ships, rail- roads, food and money, and that our worst need is men. He suggests that we bring over some Chinese. As a war measure any suggestion may be entertained. No doubt half a million Chinese laborers would come very handy. But are there ships to bring them? And once here, could we ever send them back? Importation of labor is a bad busi- ness at best. Importation of Chinese labor that will not mix with our popu- lation is a very bad business. If we are short of labor the safest remedy, in the long run, is to raise more chil- 229 TOO MANY COOKS “THANK HEAVEN, GIRLS! A REAL COOK AT Last!” dren, That is not a method that avails for an emergency or will help win this present war, but in the long run im- ported labor means American race sui- cide. It is no disparagement of the Chinese to feel that we do not want large num- bers of them in this country. They are people of character, ability and great promise. They are likeable, and Amer- icans like them. The objection to them is purely ethnical; not that they are not good people, but that in large num- bers they are not good for the United States, Quite a Difference AWYER: What washearrested for? Mike: They told me at the sta- tion that he took one too much. Lawyer: Too much or too many? Mike: What is the difference? Lawyer: Intoxication or bigamy. “LIOW did you get your message through to the other side with- out the censor stopping it?” “Easy. I wrote it in the form of free verse, and nobody knew what it meant.”