Life, 1918-05-09 · page 14 of 40
Life — May 9, 1918 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **Top**: A humorous diagram labeled "Private Bill Jenkins's Painless Souvenir Collector" shows figures in a hedgerow collecting items. This appears to be visual wordplay about souvenirs from wartime. **Bottom**: "Questions of the Day" poses contemporary political/military questions, including references to a "war departmentless day," Allied troop command (General Foch vs. Secretary Baker), and German street demolition. These reference World War I concerns—military leadership, preparation, and criticism. The sidebar joke "Subtle" depicts a conversation where a man asks about removing "superfluous flesh," and his companion dismissively suggests a taxi instead of exercise—a jab at laziness. The composite photograph shows a congressman as a "puff ball, a weakfish and a tumblebug"—a caricature-style critique using animal comparisons. These collectively satirize WWI-era military incompetence, political leadership disputes, and congressional inadequacy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
DIAGRAM OF PRIVATE BILL JENKINS'S PAINLESS SOUVENIR COLLECTOR Questions of the Day F, in order to save your own life, it was absolutely neces- sary to have a flying machine within a certain time, would you select two men to build it who were stationed in different parts of the world, who opposed each other about how to build it, neither of whom had authority to act over the other? How would it do to have a war departmentless day? The general health of those who remain at home has never been better. Is this due to more doctors at the front -or to less food at home? If you had the power to make American history all over again during the past four years, whom would you elimi- nate? Does the freedom of the press consist in suppressing the facts? Why feel ashamed or discouraged when we are promised ships and airplanes before October, 1940? Why was the command of Allied troops in France given to General Foch instead of to Secretary Baker? If Germany invades New York, do you think she will feel it necessary to complete the work of demolishing our streets, now under way by the contractors? If lack of preparation would have kept us out of war, then will red tape, inefficiency, corruption and delay keep the enemy from invading us? When you endeavor to silence criticism, do you eliminate it, or do you merely postpone the day when it will burst its boiler and kick you in the face? Subtle Par SUITOR (calling on his girl): 1 wonder what is the easiest way to remove superfluous flesh? Girt (sleepy and rather bored): Why not try a taxi? ‘Sa very bright man, isn’t he?” “Dear me, yes. He's been married only a couple of years, but you ought to see him listen!” SSNS x COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPH OF A CONG! A WEAKFISH AND A TU MAN, A PUFF BALL, EBUG comicbook gama