Life, 1919-08-21 · page 24 of 40
Life — August 21, 1919 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page advocates for the League of Nations (the post-WWI international organization) through satirical commentary. The text argues that the League's success depends not on business interests but on "religious people"—idealists with faith in abstract principles beyond material concerns. The top cartoon shows a child with adult-like knees, captioned "Look, mummy! He's got knees just like yours!"—likely mocking how the League tries to present foreign nations as equals to America while expecting unequal sacrifice from the U.S. The lower cartoon depicts "Common People" asking "Sam" (Uncle Sam, America) why he adds chains and a ball to make things hard—a visual metaphor suggesting the League imposes unnecessary burdens on ordinary Americans for idealistic goals. The satire is ambiguous: it may genuinely praise religious idealism, or mock it as naïve, depending on the reader's perspective on League membership.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Putting Over the League I° the League of Nations goes through it will be due to the efforts and influence of people who think a new era is beginning in the world, The business interests of the world are not strong enough by themselves for the job, though to some of them the utter need of the League is so apparent that they support it with ardor. It is the re- ligious people who will put the League over when it goes. The potitical Celestials must do it. They are used to thinking about mat- ters a little beyond the range of the Carnals’ atten used to the idea that all material things have a spiritual core or hasis; acquainted with the idea of faith and its powers, and tethered in a measure to the conviction that it is an essential force in the betterment f this world. Now faith is indispensable to the success of the League. The thing is not sure in any way that can be ex- pressed in words or figures. It is just best het for people to take who are game for it, a high adventure for speculative souls who are not so dazzled hy the material apparatus of life that they can see nothing else. Such souls for the most part are found “Look, MUMMY! HE’s GOT KNEES JUST LIKE yours!” in the religious people. Whatever their personal shortcomings or the discipline they are tied up to, at least they are used to looking away from errors or defects of the creeds or temporal and material concerns and speculating in the values that lie be- yond them. They give time, thought and money in large quantities t ~ things that will not pay dividends in dollars, but which they think will he profitable in other ways. When you tell them, as they have been told, that every nation that signed the Peace Treaty will make something out of it except the United States, that does not trouble is them. They like things to be that way. They think it not merely more i essed to give than to receive, but more profitable, and thes 8 think that in the long run the greatest winner by the League will be the United States. They think 0 the assumption and discharge uties do nations gc just as they ti samen good. They think a satisfac p tory state of mind is the best of all i the wares in the world’s market, ar that even atisfactory balance int p b hank is not much worth except as it 4 contributes to it 8 ¢ It is idealist, imaginative pe this sort that will put the League o * Common People: wert, SAM, WHY THY BALL AND CHLAEN? if it goes, and. as mentioned. 1 OH, THAT'S JUST TO MAKE IT HARD.” abound most among the religious | comicbooks.com