Life, 1918-07-04 · page 25 of 36
Life — July 4, 1918 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces critiquing Germany during World War I. **Top cartoon**: A giant German military figure crushes tiny automobiles, mocking the fantasy of a man too poor to afford a car. The caption "Dream of a Man Who Can't Afford an Automobile" uses this as metaphor for German military dominance. **"The Lid Is Now Off"**: Commentary on German U-boat warfare. It sarcastically argues that Germans committing atrocities (destroying art, killing civilians and soldiers) while simultaneously following Kaiser's orders to be "polite" exemplifies their unlimited capacity for "frightfulness"—a loaded term for German brutality. **"Bitter-Sweet"**: A brief joke about an obscure painter whose name newspapers consistently misspell. **"The Ideal Peace Conference"**: The lower cartoon depicts Allied leaders (appears to show British, American, and French representatives) with what look like enemy caricatures, suggesting satirical commentary on post-war peace negotiations. The page reflects American anti-German sentiment during the Great War period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
DREAM OF A MAN WHO CAN'T AFFORD AN AUTOMOBILE The Lid Is Now Off I would have liked him better if he hadn't been so damned polite—Remark made about the captain of a German U- boat by the captain of a sunk American schooner. Ov friend is undoubtedly on the right track, but it is evident that he does not fully appreciate the German character. To destroy sacred works of art, to shoot down women and children, to crucify American soldiers and murder innocent fisher- men—all this is easy, And now to add to it by being.“ polite” by order of the Kaiser—this proves, indeed, that there is no limit to German “ frightfulness. Bitter-Sweet ED: Has he much of a reputation as an artist? Nep: So-so. When the papers refer to him as a well-known painter they usually spell his name wrong. THE IDEAL PEACE CONFERENCE Peewee, comicbooks.com