Life — September 16, 1915 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Truth and Anger" - Political Satire on Academic Freedom This page satirizes a controversy at the University of Pennsylvania regarding Professor Scott Nearing. The text explains that university trustees dismissed Nearing not for "radical views or free exercise of speech," but because he made himself "the center of angry controversy." The main cartoon depicts a man labeled "Temperance" attempting to control a demon (representing anger or unrest) emerging from a bottle—a visual metaphor for prohibition-era tensions. The accompanying article argues that universities shouldn't hold professors responsible merely for sparking controversy. The satire suggests the trustees' claim to defend free speech while firing someone for causing anger is hypocritical and anatomically impossible—you can't be hit by chips if no one gets angry.