Life, 1914-10-01 · page 15 of 48
Life — October 1, 1914 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes film censorship and powerful social influencers. The top cartoon depicts a theater audience watching primitive "stone films" (a joke about ancient, crude entertainment) being pushed across a stage. Notably, one film panel reads "Passed by the Antediluvian Board of Censorship"—mocking overly restrictive film boards as hopelessly outdated and primitive. The accompanying poem, "Masters of Power," lists various influential figures (orators, editors, presidents, preachers, brokers) who manipulate public opinion through rhetoric and "hot air." The satirical point: these so-called masters actually wield less real power than they claim. The bottom illustration, captioned "Nancy is Surrounded by the Germans," appears to reference World War I, likely depicting wartime political maneuvering. Overall, the page critiques both film censorship as antiquated and the inflated influence of public figures who rely on persuasion rather than substance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ANTEDILUVIAN fh BoarD let RSHIP ea) CENSO MOVING PICTURES (THE HAND-CARVED STONE FILMS WERE PUSHED ACROSS THE STAGE BY STRONG Masters of Power HE orator who can get up steam at short notice. The huntsman skilled in winding his horn. The editor who switches the current of public opinion. The President who can keep the wheels of legislation in motion to grind out laws, The statesman who can turn the tide in his own favor. The poet who successfully hitches his wagon to a star. The boss who controls the undercurrents of society. The breezy talker who can furnish wind ad. lib. The emotional preacher who opens the flood-gates of his eloquence, and can turn on the waterworks at a mo- ment’s notice. The broker who runs his business on hot air. The lover who runs his courtship without it. The hubbie who runs Hymen’s car on his own gas. Love, who makes the world go round.