Life — April 1, 1915 — page 48: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **Top cartoon:** Shows a woman being quizzed by her aunt about "Shylock"—the Jewish moneylender from Shakespeare's *The Merchant of Venice*. The aunt's shocked response ("And you go to Sunday-school and don't know that!") satirizes upper-class pretension: educated people are expected to know classical literature, yet the aunt herself appears ignorant of the actual character. The humor targets snobbish cultural gatekeeping. **Bottom text:** "A Declaration of Independence" parodies the U.S. Declaration of Independence to critique higher education. It mockingly applies Revolutionary language to university systems, suggesting they're oppressive institutions needing rebellion. The satire likely targets educational establishment rigidity or elitism—the piece advocates replacing current systems with ones serving "common people's interests." Both items use established cultural references (Shakespeare, founding documents) to mock social pretension and institutional authority.