Life, 1918-02-21 · page 15 of 40
Life — February 21, 1918 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This WWI-era satirical page mocks wartime patriotism through darkly humorous nursery rhymes and cartoons. The "Mother Goose for War Babies" section parodies traditional children's verses, replacing innocent scenarios with war references—soldiers, explosions, and military figures. The cartoons illustrate absurd patriotic scenarios: characters engaged in exaggerated war-related activities, including one labeled "Pigsky" showing civilians performing silly martial poses. The bottom cartoon features "Ivan, the Bolshevik, recognizes in a street sweeper his former officer"—likely satirizing Russian Revolution upheaval and class reversal. The "Bits" section criticizes consumerism and preparedness obsession, questioning whether buying Liberty Bonds and material goods actually helps win wars, or merely enriches the wealthy while the poor sacrifice. The overall tone is cynical about civilian war enthusiasm.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mother Goose for War Babies NE a penny, two a penny, Hot, cross Huns. If your daughters don’t want them, Better send your sons. Little Bill Kaiser Sat near a geyser, Eating his sausage and kraut, When Sam, Jean and Tom Fach landed a bomb That washed litte Billy right out. Dwindle, dwindle, little Czar. How I wonder what you are! Down beneath your throne so low, Seems to me life must he slow. Ferd and Bill went up a hill To fill a vale with slaughter. Bill fell down and lost his crown, And Ferd came tumbling after. Pat-a-cake, wide-awake Edison man, Make me a bomb just as fast as you can. Fuse it and fill it and mark it with B, And blow up Berlin for Freedom and me. Ride an airplane to Hindenburg’s line To see all his prowess packed up in a stein, With Byngs on his fingers and Haigs on his toes, He shall have music wherever he goes. Swedish Mary, quite contrary, What does your garden grow? Uhlan yells and German shells And cablegrams all in a row? There is a little Hun, And T hold a little gun Right close to the middle of his fore- head ; For when he is dead He is very, very good, But when he's alive he is horrid. Fritzie, Schnitzic, pretzels and rye, To capture Paris made a try; But when French guns began to play, Fritzie Schnitzie made up his mind he had better postpone it until an in- definite later day. ‘LTP E* 295 IVAN, THE BOLSHEVIK, RECOGNIZES IN A STREET SWEEPER HIS FORMER OFFICER Bits AVE the scraps and win the scrap. Don’t weaken on carrying home your purchases. Carry on! Save for humanity, not for yourself. Do you really want to win the war, or do you just have to have things you don’t need? You cannot profess and call yourself a patriot if you cannot afford to buy Liberty Bonds but can afford expensive luxuries, S General Wood being punished for advocating preparedness at the proper time? How long should he he punished for a crime of that magnitude? comicbooks.com