Life — March 12, 1908 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The New Plato" - Satire on Missionary Work This page presents a Platonic dialogue titled "The Missionary" between Socrates and Apollinaris. The satirical cartoon at top depicts figures in classical robes engaged in philosophical debate—evoking Plato's dialogues. The text mocks missionary conversion efforts through philosophical wordplay. Apollinaris defends converting "heathens" to Christian views, while Socrates challenges the logical contradictions in his arguments about truth and falsehood. A character named Zeno interrupts, defending his right to wear a beard against Apollinaris's demands for conformity. The satire appears to critique rigid missionary dogmatism and cultural imperialism—the insistence on imposing Western/Christian customs alongside doctrine. By casting this in Socratic form, the author suggests missionaries lack genuine philosophical rigor, merely asserting beliefs rather than reasoning through them.