Life, 1925-12-10 · page 6 of 36
Life — December 10, 1925 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes military discipline at a New York City college during R.O.T.C. (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) drills. The main cartoon depicts first-year students questioning absurd military regulations—specifically about swimming in full uniforms during exercises. The satire targets the disconnect between practical sense and military protocol: students must wear heavy, soaked clothing that impedes swimming, illustrating how rigid institutional rules often ignore common sense and human reality. The secondary item, "Brisk Competition," jokes about a foreign visitor shocked that murder can be hired cheaply in America ($50), darkly commenting on American violence and moral standards compared to other countries. Both pieces use humor to critique authority—institutional military rigidity and broader American social problems.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“coopNess! HOW can YOU SWIM WITH ALL THAT ON?” My Country, Right or Wrong (With Apologies to Milt Gross) Scene: The Campus of the College of the City of New York, during a drill of the R. O. T. C. Military discipline is not going so I. IRST STUDENT: i, squats right, he tells me; left face, hold de peevit —is dis a system? Seconn Stuvent: Moiderers dey gonna make from us—ha! First Stupent: Weet bennet prac- tice weet drecling weet tractics weet sotting-oop axercises from insulting lankwitch. Hm, dun’t esk! Tuirp Stuvent: I vouldn't mineself to be a soldier. First Stupent: Und der orfisser dot doidy bum from a second-handed Lootenant weet gold bars weet spores weet shiny butts. Seconp Srupent: Looie, dot dope! A Serceant: Oho, nize fellas, fall heen, so poppa'll gonna tell you all habout de beeg Wowr. First Stupent: A mischa mischena you should take from yourself! Tue Sercrant: Hm! Smot crecks you makink? Doidy lenkwitch weet onsupporting de nation weet deesisting raise an orfisser, ha! Cord marshals you wantink from t days in de god house weet defined to berrecks weet P. K. weet fateeg dooty? First Stuvext: Yi yi yi yi, sotch a generous nature! Seconp Stur : Geevem, Mex, vat a beezness he has to make us a dreft? Att tHe Stupents: So we'll gonna write to de noospapers so will make a NUBBVILLE SPARK TITE YODER, OUR MARSHAL, IS HOTTER THAN EVER ON THE TRAIL OF THE COUN- TERFEITER IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. SOMEBODY PASSED ONE OF THE BILLS ON TITE PERSONALLY. beeg objective so will stop dis compul- stary meeliterry soivis. Leesen, sojjint dollink—are you a Hamerican weet rad blood weet two feests from vun hun- dred purzent? Tue Serceant: You should esk. Tue Stupents: Gut. Steeck weet us in de abomination of compulstary dreelin! Tne Serceant: HO. K. by me. Fall hout! (With great tumult, the rush to the nearest typi ters to vote their feelings to the daily press. Prom nowhere, an American Eagle flics down on the campus and, producing a small mirror, looks into it, stroking its beak with a pussled expression.) Is agribble students Henry William Hanemann. Brisk Competition “TS it possible,” remarked the foreign visitor, “that in your country a per- son can be hired for $50 to commit a murder?” “Not so loud! Some gunman may hear you and offer his services for $49.50.” comicbooks.com