Life, 1918-05-02 · page 25 of 40
Life — May 2, 1918 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page contains two distinct items: **"At Rheims"** is a WWI-era poem about the bombing of Reims Cathedral in France. It contrasts the cathedral's destruction with a poignant image: a carved Virgin Mary still cradling a child amid the rubble, offering spiritual comfort to a frightened peasant girl clutching a doll. A German soldier ("Hun") mocks nearby. The satire is implicit—the poem juxtaposes German barbarism against Christian mercy and resilience. **"Consistent"** is a brief joke about a Sunday newspaper editor who interprets the Sabbath commandment to keep the day "holy" as meaning to keep it "wholly vulgar"—a pun suggesting the editor publishes sensationalist, crude content on Sundays while claiming moral respectability. **"Uncle Sam"** cartoon shows Uncle Sam in bed, apparently ill, holding a document labeled "KEEP IT BURNING UNTIL I LEARN HOW"—likely referring to maintaining American industrial/military production or war effort, though the specific context is unclear from this page alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
At Rheims SHELLED, splintered, torn, the great cathedral stands In tragic dignity upon the square, The great rose windows shattered to the air, The priceless carvings, wrought in many lands, Crumbled to bits as fine as wind-blown sands ; Yet, from a niche below a_ pulpit stair, A jagged shell caught in her carven The Virgin clasps a child with soothing hands. Chanting some raucous, wanton folde- rol, A passing Hun jests mockingly of death, And, clutching fearfully a battered doll, A little peasant runs with shudd’ring breath Beneath the ancient portal’s broken grace, And gathers comfort from the Mother's face. Consistent “YVOU say he is a Sunday editor. Pretty good fellow, eh?” “Well, he’s the kind who believes in remembering the Sabbath day to keep it wholly vulgar.” Uncle Sam: KEEP IT BURNING UNTIL 1 LEARN HOW comicbooks.com