Life — February 6, 1919 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Historic Incidents in the Life of St. Frederick Wilhelm This satirical comic strip presents Frederick Wilhelm (likely a European royal figure) as a saint, mocking his character through nine panels. The narrative arc suggests he: - Struggled to prevent his father's unrighteous war - Preferred peace over military matters - Loved soldiers and lived among troops - Was admired by his soldiers as an honest leader - Showed no hatred, even of enemies - Pleaded tearfully against submarine warfare - Begged generals to declare peace - Eventually triumphed over "wickedness" - Lived happily in exile, having led a "blameless life" The heavy irony—treating him as saintly—suggests the cartoonist views Frederick Wilhelm as delusional or hypocritical about his actual wartime role and responsibility, likely criticizing a German royal's claimed pacifism during World War I.