A double-edged satire on both political birds. Neither is a true eagle.
They have talons but nothing of the noble air proper to the king of
birds. The German bird is not an eagle but a vulture; and he is in a
sorry plight, with torn and ruffled feathers, dishevelled, dripping
blood. He is disappointed, angry, soured, and unhappy. Yet he is
straightforward about it. He makes no attempt to disguise his feelings,
but glares at the other with the indignation of one who has been
deceived written on his face and vibrating in his voice.
And his reproach gets home. The American bird, who is bigger and stands
on a bigger rock, is sleek enough except about the head which is a bit
ruffled. But he is more of a raven than an eagle in his sable plumes of
professional cut, and he is obviously not at ease. He does not look the
other in the face. He stares straight in front of him at nothing with a
forced, hard and fixed smile, obviously assumed because he has no reply
to make.
During the war many indiscreet phrases have dropped from the lips of
prominent persons who must bitterly regret them and wish them buried
deep in oblivion. But they stand on record, and history will not let
them die. "Too proud to fight" is the most unfortunate of all, and when
others are forgotten it will remain, because it has a general
application. Mr. Raemaekers exposes its foolishness here with a single
masterly touch and he puts the exposure in the right mouth. The cartoon
is an illuminating epitome of the interminable exchange of notes between
the two Powers on submarine warfare.