Life, 1914-08-20 · page 19 of 40
Life — August 20, 1914 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece critiques government censorship of public officials. The article references two recent incidents: a U.S. minister to Greece was recalled after publicly commenting on Albanian affairs, and an army officer was disciplined by the administration for speaking out. The cartoon (illustrated by Mary Lane McMillan) depicts people decorating a home—likely symbolizing a government or institution being "prettified" while problems remain hidden underneath. The satire's argument: **suppressing officials' speech prevents the public from identifying incompetent appointees.** The author contends that competent leaders naturally know when to stay quiet, so encouraging speech actually reveals who is unfit for office. By muzzling representatives, the government prevents citizens from discovering which officials are "asses"—thus protecting mediocrity rather than maintaining order. This reflects Progressive Era concerns about government transparency and meritocracy versus patronage appointments.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
In This Vicinity, The Best Way TH other day one of our ministers to Greece expressed his opinion about affairs in Albania and was Promptly recalled. And about the same time a prominent army officer was disciplined by the administration. Is it wise to make our representa- ‘WEATHER FORECAST Warmer and Unsettled During the Next Thirty-six Hours tives keep their mouths shut? Isn't it better not to reprimand them, and let them talk as much as they please? If the fact is advertised that no repre- sentative of our government will be allowed to talk, a very valuable guide to the fitness of these representatives will be curtailed. Stupid and tactless men, appointed to office, will continue to remain there just because there 1s no opportunity given us to discover what asses they are. A good man knows when to hold his tongue. He needs no rule. The others should be encouraged to reveal themselves. comichooks.coyy)