Life, 1918-09-12 · page 23 of 34
Life — September 12, 1918 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top illustration depicts a German family on a boat outing, satirizing German militarism and expansionism during a period of international tension (likely early 20th century). The portly German gentleman represents German imperial ambition, while his family suggests how such aggression affected civilian populations. The bottom cartoon shows an automobile crash with the caption "Soft-spoken Diplomat: you mustn't be too hard on Amos, he's only practising." This appears to satirize diplomatic excuses for aggressive national behavior—a diplomat defending destructive conduct as mere "practice." The figure labeled "Amos" remains unclear, but likely represents a nation or leader whose reckless actions were being excused or minimized by diplomatic rhetoric. Both cartoons critique how serious international conflicts were trivialized or explained away.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
GERMAN GENTLEMAN AND HIS FAMILY TAKE A LITTLE OUTING Contributors will he given o ivingston, A RARY NUMBER 292 Venezuela BA ( Soft-spoken Diplomat: vou MUSTN'T ne TOO HARD ON AMOS. for reply. E'S ONLY PRACTISING comicbooks.com