Life, 1914-12-24 · page 15 of 40
Life — December 24, 1914 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate cartoons and commentary pieces: **Top cartoons:** "Mad-Man Scare in Dogville" and "His Better Half" appear to be humorous domestic/animal scenes with no clear political content visible. **"No Bed of Roses":** This article discusses Sing Sing Prison, citing Bishop Greer's criticism that the prison system creates hardened criminals rather than reforming them. It references Conan Doyle's pre-war condemnation and mentions newly-appointed penologist Osborne's reform efforts, pessimistically suggesting systemic reform is impossible—prisons merely reflect broader social conditions. **"Holy":** This commentary criticizes the British government's war strategy against Turkey during WWI, sarcastically praising their protection of holy places while mocking their apparent concern for protecting American corporate interests (Standard Oil, Stock Exchange) from invasion. The satire suggests Britain's stated moral principles mask economic priorities. **Bottom cartoon:** Features a corset joke about a woman's deceptive salesmanship.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MAD-MAN SCARE IN DOGVILLE ~ ‘HIS BETTER HALF, “N OTHER, where are Helicon and Parnassus?” ; “Ask your father, Johnnie. He keeps up with the No Bed of Roses war news.” GPEAKING of Sing Sing Prison, says Bishop Greer: Here crime is conceived, here it breeds, and here it is fostered and developed. The prisoner sent to this place comes forth a hardened criminal. Conan Doyle, on a visit just before the war broke out, declared that Sing Sing ought to be burned to the ground. Others have denounced it from time to time. News- papers have exposed it. Now a new man, Penologist Os- borne, has been appointed to correct its badness. We predict that, as good as he is, he will not succeed. Why should Sing Sing be any different from what it is? Who ever heard of anyone trying to reconstruct an at- mosphere by trying to make over a barometer? Sing Sing, like all prisons, is only a barometer of social conditions. Holy Wé cannot but regard the position taken by the English Government in its war against Turkey not to include the holy places in the Turkish Empire as highly significant. It assures, at least for the future, the protection of all holy places in each country from violation, at least so far a as the Allies are concerned. We wish that Germany would AL AG SEND STG NHRSS ASTLY REDUCING CORSETS join, Then, in case we are invaded by any foreign power, HER SELL ME A PAIR. I BEGIN TO THINK THAT we shall know that the offices of the Standard Oil Com- SHE HAS STUNG ME! pany and the Stock Exchange will come to no harm. comichooks.celn)