Life, 1918-05-16 · page 10 of 40
Life — May 16, 1918 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct satirical pieces from WWI-era Life magazine: **"Criticizing Secretary Baker"** (left): A anecdote mocking Newton Baker, Secretary of War, whose policies apparently drew public criticism. The joke centers on a woman arrested for criticizing Baker at a restaurant, while the actual critic (possibly someone influential) faced no consequences. The satire suggests unfair selective enforcement of patriotic speech during wartime. **"The Worst Culprits"** (upper right): Criticizes executing American soldiers for sleeping on sentry duty while awaiting orders. The cartoon contrasts military justice severity with artistic incompetence, sarcastically suggesting a "red-tape artist" would help the war effort more than executing soldiers. **"Absent Treatment"** (lower right): An untitled cartoon showing what appears to be medical or bureaucratic incompetence regarding absent soldiers or shirkers. The overall theme addresses wartime injustices and inconsistent military discipline.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OLD AFFECTIONS, Cniticizing Secretary Baker NE evening recently a gentleman and his wife were dining at one of New York's popular restaurants, when the lady—addressing her husband—uttered some critic of Secretary Baker and his war policy. When she had fin- ished, a woman, who had been sitting at the next table, rose and, addressing her, said: “T have just heard your remarks, which I consider trea- sonable, I am going to have you arrested.” Then she went out and got a policeman, and the man and his wife were taken to the station house, where a charge was preferred. After some difficulty the man succeeded in getting bail for his wife. The next morning they appeared in court, and the woman who had made the charge repeated it. The judge dismissed the case immediately, merely re- marking that it was not treasonable, nor necessarily unpatri- otic, to criticize the Secretary of War. The poor lady who had been subjected to this injustice went home to bed. There was apparently no question about her patriotism. She ought to have had the other woman arrested in turn, but she was evidently tired of the publicity. The question naturally arises, Who was the other woman? Was she employed by George Creel? Or was she just naturally a fanatic? T understand where he got his trench feet.” “ Riding in the subway.” The Worst Culprits HEY say that four American soldiers in France have got death sentences for sleeping on sentry post, and await execution, pending directions to that effect from Washington. Sleeping on sentry post is very culpable, but when you have shot a soldier guilty of it you have not got ahead much. But if you could contrive to get a red-tape artist shot, that might really help to win the war. The lack of law for punishment of red-tapers is pitif ante wae ad ABSENT TREATMENT Comicbook seco