Life, 1918-08-08 · page 25 of 36
Life — August 8, 1918 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two interconnected satirical pieces about war and aging. **"An Old Soldier"** (poem by Charlotte Becker): A Civil War veteran is so absorbed in nostalgic memories of past battles (Bull Run, Gettysburg, Malvern Hill) and historical military figures (Grant, Sheridan) that he fails to notice his own grandson has enlisted and gone overseas—likely to World War I. The satire critiques how romanticizing past wars can blind older generations to present sacrifices. **"A Veteran of the Future"** (illustration): Shows an elderly dog being pestered by puppies demanding war stories. The caption parodies the previous poem's scenario: the grandson (now represented as a dog-descendant) will someday bore his own children with tales of his WWI service, perpetuating the cycle of glorified military nostalgia. Together, these pieces satirize how each generation mythologizes its wars while remaining oblivious to current ones—and how survivors inevitably transmit these romantic narratives to younger generations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A NON-COMBATANT An Old Soldier E dreams the years away in old campaigns— Bull Run and Gettysburg and Malvern Hill; He sces those bygone soldiers fighting still, And far more real their losses and their gains, To him, than are the tents in spring-clad lanes That now their dauntless young descendants fill With stalwart strength and ringing songs, which thrill In quickening ardor through a nation’s veins. So busily his gray head cogitates— When Grant did this, when Sheridan did that— That he may not return to wonder at The silent house, the bugles at his gates, Nor guess the fire struck from his memories Has sent his grandson proudly overseas. Charlotte Becker. synonymous y “"CHE word ‘highbrow’ used to mean someone exces- sively intellectual, but now it apparently means some- A VETERAN OF THE FUTURE one who is disagreeable.” Chorus: AND, OH, GRANDPATHER! TELL THE ONE ABOUT HOW “Well, what's the differenc: YOU SAVED THE COLONEL AND GOT THE Cross! comicbooks.com