Life, 1918-10-31 · page 7 of 34
Life — October 31, 1918 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes Allied optimism about World War I. The dialogue at top presents conditional scenarios: if Austria-Hungary fragments, if German lines break near the Rhine—each followed by cautionary counterpoints. The poem by Arthur Guiterman emphasizes that despite diplomatic hopes, military victory requires actual fighting. The illustration shows a "Benighted Yank" (American soldier) attempting French with locals. The caption's joke—"we've been stung, Bill! That ain't French they was learnin' us back home at all"—reflects American soldiers' frustration with language barriers and training inadequacy when deployed to Europe. Together, the content mocks both overconfident war predictions and practical unpreparedness of American forces, suggesting gaps between theory and battlefield reality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
[F the Kaiser condescendingly de- ceases, It may only take a month or so to win.” “Lf the Austrians and Magyars go to pieces, We'll be celebrating Christmas in Berlin.” But the army doesn't play with hypo- thetical disputes, For there aren't any “ifs” boys in khaki suits. about the Ifs and Buts “Yes, the prospects for von Hinden- burg are murky— But the Germans still are bracing up their line.” “Yes, it’s pretty near Thanksgiving ‘or Turkey— But still a heavy journey to the Rhine.” Oh, the army doesn’t worry if a door or two is shut, And the only “but” it uses is the weighted rifle butt So the diplomats may hint of hopes and chances ; But we know the goal is nearer, day by day, As the steady surge of bayonets ad- vances, As the bellow of the cannon clears the way. For, no matter what they'll call it when they've totted up the score, It is fighting ghting that has got to win the war. Arthur Guiterman Benighted Yank (after a half hour's struggle with the language): we've BEEN STUNG, BILL! THAT AIN'T FRENCH THEY WAS LEARNIN’ US BACK HOME AT ALL comicbooks.com