Life, 1919-09-04 · page 11 of 48
Life — September 4, 1919 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon depicts a dialogue between "Jack" and "Jill" about marriage, with the woman declining: "Oh, that's all right! We'll just have a year or so's start on most of our friends." This satirizes the common practice of couples delaying marriage during wartime. The "Poor United States" section criticizes American isolationism and lack of preparedness before entering World War I. It mocks the U.S. for not learning from Britain's experience and suggests America should have entered the war earlier. The bottom illustration shows pirates forcing someone to "walk the plank," likely satirizing political or social power dynamics of the era. The page also includes a poem "Ode to a Bar of Soap" by Bahnie Wedekind, a humorous tribute to soap—a commodity relevant during WWI rationing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Jack Jill: OW, THAT'S ALL RIGHT! Jack WHY WON'T YOU MAKKY ME? RECAUSE 1 DON'T LOVE YOU We'D JUST HAVE A YEAR OK SO'S START ON MOST OF OUR FRIENDS. “Poor United States” eTHE been lacking in humor,” United States have always rails a writer in Blackwood's, “or they would recognize their ridiculous position and keep silence.” This gentleman then goes on to state that if England should collect “ vast” sums wherewith to p: itation to “fF or South Americans for a “vast” a Texas or Virginia would not the angry? and then winds up with: WHEN PERCY'S SISTER SAW THE PIRATES MAKING HIM WALK TIE “Poor United States! They have taken their courage in both hands and valiantly to hurt the And though prepared pride of Great Britain. most Great Britain would reply indignantly were the insult offered by a serious nation, it laughs with scorn at Senator Lodge and his friends.” It was not such a long time Groat Britain sent Mr. Balfour over to beg us to get iato the war before it was too late. It seems a pity that our friend has learned nothing from the go that PLANK 393 war. The fact is that Britain and the United pretty well messed up just at present, and it will both Great States are require a great deal of patience and charity on both sides be- fore the machinery is running smoothly again. too nasty Be tolerant, brother But it isn’t going to help to be These are try- ing times. Ode to a Bar of Soap H, Bar of Soap, Oh, bstance made of palmitin and sodium hydroxide, . lump of NaCi6Hy1O02, ass of potential froth I chant to you. For the approbation within my pericar dium, And the commendation of my psychical identity, Are yours. In the splash parlor of my dwelling, Humbly and ui You await the h My slippered feet shall bring me down the hall To keep our tryst. entatiously, if when And then, When once together, You and I, Among the myriad drops of H20, Ah, the joy, the rapture, The concentrated ecstasy With which you sacrifice yourself In order that from me The extrancous matter may be eroded! Oh, little Oh, unassum Oh, mass of potential froth, of soap, ing piece of matter, I sing to you. 1 sing And Sing! Bahnie Wedekind. An Influence in Medicine OW much Christian affected thought! Millions of people who don’t hold hy it, understand its theory more or Science has less, use some of its phraseology, and practice it in some details, as in being wary of inducing disease or miscon- luct by suggestion HAT what she a woman is depends upon does when she might something else comicbooks.com