Life — August 19, 1909 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This *Life* magazine page satirizes Kansas's incomplete prohibition laws. The main article mocks Kansas's alcohol ban as full of loopholes—it prohibits drinking on trains and in public, but apparently leaves other venues unregulated. The cartoon shows a thin, top-hatted figure (representing Kansas or its prohibition enforcement) pouring water, captioned "Little Drops of Water," a reference to a temperance hymn. The satire suggests Kansas's law is ineffectual—merely symbolic gestures rather than comprehensive prohibition. The article's author questions the law's logic: if Kansas truly wanted to prevent drinking, why not also ban alcohol in aeroplanes? The humor lies in exposing the contradiction between prohibition's strict intent and its selective, easily circumvented actual enforcement.