Life, 1919-01-02 · page 13 of 34
Life — January 2, 1919 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon depicts 1919 as a chaotic year: a disheveled figure labeled "1919" pulls a heavily-laden cart toward "1918" (depicted as a basket/container), suggesting the new year inherits all of the previous year's burdens and problems. The accompanying poem "New Year, 1919" by Arthur Guiterman reflects post-WWI disillusionment. It mocks optimistic resolutions while cataloging remaining social problems: "wounds to bind," political troubles, unfinished construction, social inequality. The lower section "That Cruel War" presents a satirical list of "Leagues"—humorous suggestions for organizing people into restrictive groups (slaves obliged to submit to illustrations, opera singers forced into movies, etc.). The accompanying photograph shows what appears to be a wartime scene. The overall message: 1919 brings hope for peace, but substantial societal problems and absurdities persist.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
STARTING ON THE New Year, 1919 Al sighed the World, as he turned in bed With a pillow of cloud for his poor old head, \nd lowered the roller-shade of Night, And blew out a star that shone too bright The Year is gone with his toil and strife, The storm and surge of the tide of life, The crazy brawl of the human breed, And I'l rest at last—for it’s rest T need!” Down came an elf through the moonlight pale From the Milky Way on a comet's tail; His traveling-bag, in letters clean, Was marked, “A, D. Nineteen-ninete He turned up the lamps that were burning low And prodded the World with a small pink toc. et up!” he cried like a saucy shrew, “There's a heap of things for a World to do! here are wounds to bind, there’s a map to fix, There's a beautiful tangle of politics, ‘There are towns to build, there are wheels to start, There's a load of crowns for the junkman’s cart. t y ancient fraud in a brand-new dress, re lovely riddles for men to guess, There are dreams to dream, there are he to climb, And you can't lie there and waste my time So the World rose up with a plaintive groan, Stubbing his toe on a tumbled throne, To round the Sun on his wonted track The deep-grooved Trail of the Zodiac, That way of sorrows and joys and aches, Of noble efforts and fool mistakes. it’s good for the poor old World, at that; ora drowsy Planet gets much too Jrthur Guiterman, That Cruel War is HAT connection has Geubbson had with the war? He hasn’t been at the front or crossed the sea, has he? He hasn't been cither wounded or torpedoed ? “Oh, no. He is merely one of the survivors of a Wash- ington boarding-house. FIRST LAP OF THE YEAR Combination in Unrestraint of Freedom A ES are the order of the day. Why not of slave Suggestions Of conscientious authors obliged to submit to the illus- trations of artists imposed upon them by publishers Of ladies either so thin or fat that they cannot get uni- forms to look well on them: Of editorial writers who are obliged to write things don't believe. a singers who which the Of ope pittances by acting in the : certain proportion of hushands, ople who haven't the moral courage to resist exces= e to cke out their miserable sive tipping Of all those who are addicted to systems of home exer- Foreman (to Binks, who had volunteered for munition work): ALL YE GOTTA DO 1S HOLD THAT WHITE-HOT IRON ON THE ANVIL WHILE THE BOYS HIT AT IT, comicbooks.com