Life, 1913-04-10 · page 21 of 48
Life — April 10, 1913 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon depicts a domestic scene where a father catches a man dancing with his daughter. She excuses it as just a dance demonstration—likely referencing the "modern" dances (like the Charleston or Turkey Trot) that scandalized early 20th-century moralists who viewed them as sexually improper. The article "Superfluous Laws" satirizes legislative overreach. It argues that America produces too many new laws (over 20,000 added annually) and warns that women's suffrage will make this worse by creating even more legislation. The author proposes a "jury of common-sense people" to evaluate new laws before enactment, and suggests eliminating outdated statutes entirely. The bottom cartoon, "The Striker's Dream," shows a laborer imagining violent retribution against authority—likely referencing labor unrest and class conflict of the era. The piece reflects anxieties about women's political power, rapid social change, and government overreach typical of 1910s-era American conservatism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
CarsTeR bk GARDE, “OH, PAPA! DON’T BE ANGRY! MR. JONES WAS JUST DEMONSTRATING A NEW DANCE HE LEARNED LAST NIGHT” MO warekxeaH Superfluous Laws wit not have a public censorship of laws? We have one of moving pictures, and all morals or laws are very much more important because they can cause so much more trouble. Last year over twenty thousand new laws were placed upon the statute books. If our sisters have their way and acquire universal suffrage, they will proceed to cure all the ills of society by getting up new laws for cach one. The time is coming when we shall have to defend ourselves from these laws. What is needed, therefore, is a jury of common-sense people (not lawyers, Heaven forbid!) who will pass on new laws and say whether they shall be placed in force or not. And while we are about it, would it not be a good idea to make a clean sweep and get rid of a large propor- tion of those we have on the books at present? nites “QHALE we ever have human beings that are physically perfect?” sighed the Professor of Eugenics. “Not. while I'm alive,” answered ¢ STRIKER'S DREAM Cupid positively. comicbooks.com