Life, 1918-02-28 · page 10 of 40
Life — February 28, 1918 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon depicts a baseball player attempting to hit a ball labeled with explosive imagery, likely representing military conflict. The caption and surrounding text reference the Bolsheviki (Russian Communists), Germans, and debates over American intervention in World War I. The satire suggests that American political leaders—represented by the batter—are playing a dangerous "game" by engaging with both Russian revolutionaries and Germans, when they should focus on clear military objectives. The text criticizes those who would negotiate with Bolsheviks or Germans rather than decisively defeating them. The "national game" metaphor mocks treating serious wartime decisions as casual sport, suggesting American leadership is recklessly gambling with national security by entertaining multiple ideological threats simultaneously during WWI.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
British Liberals, the American Celes- tials would curb capital and tax it and work it and keep it in its place, but they have no conviction that capitalism is the great disease from which the world is suffering and must be rooted out. They can go a little ways on oc- casion with the Bolsheviki and the I. W. W,, but to continue with persons of their persuasion would be to set up a new tyranny over mankind more drastic, more unscrupulous, more pre- posterous than autocracy and very much less efficient. The Bolsheviki and the I. W. W. wish to compass the complete destruc- tion of society as it exists, and to gain a free hand to shape something that they think may suit them out of the fragments. The Germans want to rule a Germanized world. It is a toss-up OUR NATIONAL GAME IN 1918 whether the Bolsheviki or the Ger- mans are the more dangerous in their intentions, Neither can be suffered to get what they are after, but both are factors in the rehabilitation of the world. The Bolsheviki have helped to wreck Czarism in Russia, and may help to wreck Hohenzollernism in Germany. By destruction of the Russian army they have helped Germany, but by lur- ing her into peace discussions which exposed her true aims, and by feeding un-German ideas into German minds they have harmed her. So long as the Bolsheviki avail to baffle German diplomacy and to keep Russia in ferment until the time comes for her true cure, they may be useful as part of the great process of world- renovation. But when they reach the point where they can leave their trou- sers off and start to shape the world the way they want it, they become im- possible, and will incur the destruction that they invite. Meanwhile, they are uncommonly perplexing colleagues for the other world-doctors. E.S.M. At the Front OHN S. SUMN Comstock as Secretary for the Sup- pression of Vice, has gone to France to help the Y. M. C. A. avert mischiefs from the American troops. It will be admitted that in the kind of war that he has enlisted for, John is now at the front. Cc day.” R, successor of A. ‘ou meet this bill to-day?” “Not to-day; this is a mectless