Life, 1918-12-05 · page 33 of 76
Life — December 5, 1918 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon:** A wealthy man's money bag has depleted faster than expected, so he asks a poorer acquaintance for help refilling it. The response—"the government has taken it all away from me"—satirizes wartime taxation and wealth redistribution. The joke targets wealthy individuals facing higher taxes while the working class has nothing left to give. **"National Christmas Tree" Section:** This is not a cartoon but a satirical gift list for prominent WWI-era figures. It mocks various leaders and groups: - **General Pershing, Herbert Hoover, Secretary Daniels, General Wood**: Political/military figures receiving backhanded "wishes" - The wishes are sarcastic: soldiers get prayers and pocketbooks; profiteers get compared to Benedict Arnold (a traitor) **Farm Hand cartoon:** A farmer scolds his cow for eating during wartime, calling it "treason"—satirizing civilian sacrifice and the moral imperative to conserve resources for the war effort. **Overall context:** This page reflects WWI-era American anxieties about government control, class inequality, and rationing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Christmas Life “MY BAG HAS EMPTIED ITSELF SOONER THAN 1 EXPECTED, WOULD YOU MIND HELPING ME REFILL 17?" “VM SORRY, OLD MAN, BUT THE GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN IT ALL AWAY FROM Mr.” The National Christmas Tree R GENERAL PERSHING: The faith of the nation’s mothers that their sons will always receive a great father's watchful care. For Herbert Hoover: The promise that the nation will cat more wisely, and a real gratitude for his leadership. For Secretary Daniels: A tardy apology for any mean things we may have said. For the Soldiers: Our prayers and our pocketbooks. For General Wood: The nation’s full gratitude for a foreknowledge of war that has never been properly ac- cepted nor appreciated. For American Women: A realization of their great part in a future victory over the foemen of Freedom For All Dollar-a-Year Men: A new notion of wealthy men. : = For All War Worke A genuine God-bless-you! Farm Hand: cot darn you, cow! p'vE KNOW THAT IN For All Profiteers: The heritage of Benedict Arnold. THESE DAYS THAT'S TREASON ! comicbooks.com