Life, 1906-03-01 · page 19 of 46
Life — March 1, 1906 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces by Rupert Hughes attacking widespread hypocrisy across American institutions. **"The First Victim of Wall Street Stocks"** (the cartoon depicts a ruined man) is a lengthy narrative mockery showing how an "Honest Man" is surrounded by corruption at every level: the grocer adulterates goods, the insurance agent lies, the lawyer defending criminals exposes fraud, the newspaper editor who denounces corruption is himself corrupt, and even his church is built with tainted money by dishonest contractors, with a preacher who doesn't believe his own sermons. The point: there are no truly honest people in society—everyone profits from or participates in graft. **"The Catechism Revised"** parodies religious catechism to mock Wall Street corruption, replacing spiritual vows with admissions about stock-market scheming and "the Kingdom of Graft." Both pieces satirize Gilded Age institutional rot—insurance fraud, stock manipulation, journalistic dishonesty, and clerical hypocrisy—suggesting corruption is universal and inescapable.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
BUI grocery store, where he sold every known form of adul- teration and aniline dye-stuff) The Honest Man paid his cash to an insurance agent (who told him lies about the condition of the company. and promised a “mutual benefit’ benefit that would crialize), and received in return a policy guar- antecing certain very uncertain things. The Honest Man felt better. He had protected his home. The next evening he read in his paper that this very insurance company had been subjected to. rigid mination by a noted lawyer (who had become noted 1 rich—by securing the acquittals of men he knew to be guilty of thefts and murders). The lawyer had compelled the president of the insurance company to admit that he and his henchmen and his relatives had ior private speculation, and for never 1 used the “sacred funds’ contribution to the election of an honest political party. The Honest Man was horrified at the corruption of politics and of insurance companies, and at the unserupu- lousness of rich men; and he read with approval the magnificent denunciation, written by the editor (who had ¢ over from one ty to another in return for a higher salary) of the paper (which claimed a perjured circulation, and printed advertisements of fraudulent con- cerns, notorious quacks, and dangerous drugs). On the Sabbath the Honest Man went to his church (built. with tainted money by an architect. who had THE FIRST VICTIM OF WALL STREET STOCKS. plagiarized the plan, and a contractor who had over- charged ior inierior material). After an inspiring solo by the soprano (who was about to be sued for divorce), the contribution box was passed by a deacon (some of whose real estate was rented for questionable purposes). The Honest Man dropped in the box a dishonest, but not disinfected, dollar. Then an cloquent sermon for public righteousness and private sanctity was delivered by the preacher (who did not believe half he preached, and whose wife—if she had not had her own reasons for keeping quict—could have told enough about him to get him run out of town), So goes the world! Indeed, Gentle Reader, excepting You and Me, I doubt if there's a truly honest person alive. And I wouldn't believe You on oath; while, the truth about me were known, I should probably be lynched. Rupert Hughes. The Catechism Revised. WHAT is your game? A. Gor Gs, Q. Who gave you this game? A. My sponsors in business, wherein I was made a mem- ber of the Exchange, a child of Greed, and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Graft. Q. What did your sponsors then for you? A. They did promise and vow three things in my name: that I should renounce the ticker and all its work: slumps and panics of this risky whirl, and all the skinful trusts of the Street. comicbooks.com