Life, 1918-06-27 · page 24 of 37
Life — June 27, 1918 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts soldiers marching home from World War I, with a dog wearing a Red Cross symbol leading them—a joyful homecoming scene titled "When Rover Comes Marching Home Again." The "Open Letter" is satirical commentary on Postmaster General A. S. Burleson, whom Theodore Roosevelt had criticized for allegedly intimidating newspapers and suppressing truthful reporting during WWI. Life's letter mockingly urges Burleson *not* to respond to Roosevelt, sarcastically suggesting that if Burleson stops working, the entire postal system might collapse—implying his actual work is trivial and his censorship efforts are the real problem. The secondary cartoon about advertising mocks commercialism: an evangelist's message of free salvation is deemed unpopular by a businessman unless discounted to 98 cents, satirizing how marketing logic reduces spiritual values to commodities. The final item jokes that women's wool bathing suits will be unusually short that season—likely alluding to post-war fabric shortages or changing fashion norms.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
An Open Letter Hon, A. S. Burleson, D EAR MR. BURLESON: sorry I am to see that Mr. Roosevelt has been hurting your feelings by suggesting that possibly you and Mr. Creel were trying to intimidate some papers who were telling the truth, while at the same time you were congratulating Mr. Hearst's right-hand man on becoming the editor of another paper. But you mustn’t mind Mr. Roosevelt, or try to answer him back, because every time you do this the coun- try not only suffers but also the boys at the front. While you are engaged in looking up the Bible and the encyclo- pedia and Alfred Tennyson in order to answer Mr. Roose- velt, just think of all the letters that are waiting here to go forward. Why, if you are going to have your attention taken off your work by Mr. Roosevelt's amusing truths, somebody might possibly abolish the new postal system, several magazines might thereby be allowed to live, some- body else might start a mail tube in New York, all the post offices throughout the country might begin to deliver mails on time—in fact, nobody can tell what would happen. I beg of you, therefore, not to mind Mr. Roosevelt. As it i he is having a great deal more fun than he is justly en- titled to. I write to tell you how Zonefully yours, 2 eG Lire. WHEN ROVER COMES MARCHING HOME AGAIN Value of Advertising "GALVATION is free!” exclaimed the evangelist. Yes, that’s the trouble,” replied the business man. “Tf it were marked down to ninety-eight cents from a dol- lar it might be more popular.” ‘THE REASON WOMEN’S WOOL BATHING SUITS WILL RE UNUSUALLY SHORT THIS SEASON