Life, 1921-08-11 · page 5 of 40
Life — August 11, 1921 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Richard Le Gallienne poem and cartoon satirize post-WWI American society's obsession with productivity and work as a cure-all solution. The verse mocks idealistic dreamers and theorists, insisting that practical action—"getting back to work"—is the only answer to social problems. The illustration depicts children playing or loafing outdoors, seemingly avoiding labor. The dialogue below ("You'll let me fire it next, woncha, Billy?") suggests children mimicking adult work culture and competitiveness, even in play. The satire targets how early 20th-century America elevated work to almost religious status, promoting it as civilization's remedy for everything from social unrest to moral decay—a critique of capitalist ideology that reduced human value to productivity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
O more wisdom need apply, No more theories, fads or fancies, We have got a full supply— “Back to work” our only chance is; All the sages Down the ages Teach a truth ’tis vain to shirk; ‘When in doubt, get back to work.” “Back to Work” By RICHARD LE GALLIENNE We have had our fill of dreams For immediate salvation, Time it is for sober schemes Capable of application; All the nostrums Yelled on rostrums— All the one solution burke: “When in doubt, get back to work.” Turn the dream into the deed, Get your wisdom down to action, Though it be the smallest seed, Or the veriest vulgar fraction; Get something done Under the sun, Coal-heaver, congressman, or clerk— “When in doubt, get back to work.” “You'll let me fire it next, woncha, Billy?” “You know me, Bill; I’m first.” “Aw! don’t be stingy.” “I let you use my sled, didn’t 1?” “I always liked you, Billy.” Etc., ete. comicbooks.com