Life, 1918-06-13 · page 12 of 36
Life — June 13, 1918 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate pieces of satirical content: **"Architecture"** (top left): A poem by Arthur Guiterman satirizing suburban development, mocking the idealized pastoral imagery ("Woof, woof!") contrasted with the actual commercialized housing ("red-brick kennel," "Queen Anne front") being sold to the middle class. **"The Advance"** (center): A cartoon showing directional signs pointing "TO BERLIN" and "TO PARIS," with a military figure. This appears to reference World War I military movements and strategy, though specific context is unclear without dating. **"The Hired Man" section** (right): Includes commentary on lodging-house profiteering schemes targeting soldiers and their families, plus brief pieces on "Heroes" and "Liars"—likely moral commentary on wartime rhetoric and behavior. The overall theme criticizes commercialization and exploitation during the war period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIP E * Architecture HAVE left the city with its grinding noise, With its sordid sorrows and its pinchbeck joys, For the cleanly comfort of a prim abode In a new-laid suburb on a two-track road, Where the mastiff greets me with a “ Woof, woof, woof!” From a red-brick kennel with a gambrel roof, Where the leghorns nestle in a chicken-coop With a dormer window and a high Dutch stoop, Where the small pigs gambol and the large pigs grunt In a sty of stucco with a Queen Anne front, And the horse shall whinny and the cow shall low In a new Greek stable with a portico! Arthur Guiterman. TO THE ADVANCE His Forte “"S a wonderful strate- L liars tell the truth from time to time. THE HIRED MAN How They Do It Tit Washington lodging-house keepers, apartment own- ers and similar profiteers have been legally restricted in their schemes for extorting money from soldiers and keep right on extort- ing. Their pet scheme is to charge fifty dollars for the monthly rent of a two-room apartment—and to add si their families; but none the less the: dollars for the monthly rent of the furniture in the apart- ment, said furniture consisting of two beds, two chiffoniers and four chairs. In Washington, as clsewhere, a true profitcer only ceases profiteering when he is hog-tied. Heroes HERE are no greater heroes, that 1 know, Than those who are afraid to go. but Liars This is inevitable. No liar can possibly gist, isn’t he?” A be so perfect as to crush completely within himself the inherent cosmic urge to “Rather! He's so good they have taken him out of the fighting and put him in Washington and given him charge of the explanations as to pur delay in guns, flying Thi machines and other necessi- ties.” state things as they are rather than as they are not And in these more or less occasional lapses from the devious path of prevarication liars often utter truths of great importance. But there is never any way of knowing in advance just when a liar is going to decide that veracity is better than falsehood. is the cause of much unhappiness in the lives of some of our best liars. As there is no remedy for the condition, the only proper advice to them is that, chosen to be a liar, stick to it under all circumstances with indomitable consistency.