Life, 1918-04-11 · page 9 of 44
Life — April 11, 1918 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate pieces of satirical content from WWI-era Life magazine. **"Off to the War" (top illustration):** A military officer addresses a group of women and children, apparently discussing equipment or preparations. The caption's ironic title suggests commentary on wartime mobilization. **"Bacteriologists" (left column):** Satirizes how bacteriologists have gained prominence and enforced authority during wartime, being stationed in various camps to test serums. The joke appears to be that this previously obscure scientific role has suddenly become powerful and omnipresent—they're now as important as military officers. **"United They Stand" (right column):** A poem celebrating the "peaceful sector" of the home front, contrasting it with active warfare. The final motto about Palestine's new Republic appears unrelated, possibly a separate editorial comment. The overall theme critiques how war reorganizes civilian society and elevates certain professions to unexpected importance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Bacteriologists HAT has become of the bacteriolo- gists? Can it be possible that the gated them to enforced obscurity? Serum experts have stepped out into the limelight, and in the soil of the-war'are now Aoitrishing like green No camp is complete with- bay trees. out a corps of these gentlemen, who will stab you in forty different places with forty kinds of serums while you wait. But for some reason not ap- parent the bacteriologist appears to have missed his opportunities. The OFF TO THE WAR SPEAKING OF EQUIPMENT pursuit of microbes is no longer fash- ionable. There was a time when the microscope was mightier than the vac- cine gun. Now the bacteriologist: is about as popula c-president Does he merely bide his time? Is he cting a new and ex- now secretly con tended list of fatal diseases, with which to regale a jaded public after the war? d five, said her A LITTLE prayers: “Dear God, bless mamma and papa. bless my little sisters and me, and oh, God, please teach me how to knit.” 585 United They Stand N valiant warfare, over there, Is borne the hattle’s brunt, Where Pershing’s ranks of gallant men Are trenching at the front. But there’s a peaceful sector that Gives “war fare” over here, Where Hoover's noble army is Re-trenching in the rear. J. BH. MOTTO for the new Republic of Palestine: O tempora! O Moses! comicbooks.com