Life — July 1, 1915 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Sectarian Issue" - Life Magazine Satire This page satirizes accusations that Mrs. Mary Dunphy's removal as superintendent of Children's Hospitals and Schools on Randall's Island resulted from sectarian religious conflict. Mr. Folks (Secretary of State Charities Aid Association) defends against claims that Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, or other denominational groups orchestrated her firing for political reasons. The cartoon "When Uncle Sam Really Wakes Up" depicts Uncle Sam jolting awake atop a spinning globe, suggesting the satirist's view that the public remains oblivious to behind-the-scenes religious faction-fighting in New York politics. The satire implies that such "sectarian issues" secretly influence public charity administration, contradicting official denials of religious bias in her dismissal.