Life — November 25, 1915 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 996 **Top Article: "Decline and Fall of the New England Conscience"** This satirizes the fading moral authority of New England Puritanism. The text argues that the New England conscience—once a powerful cultural force—is dying out, diluted by westward migration and the rise of "plutocrats" and "industrial savants" in cities like Boston and Hartford. A specific anecdote mocks this decline: two stranded New Englanders in 1914 accepted government loans to return home rather than borrowing privately—suggesting moral principles have been abandoned for practical necessity. **Bottom Cartoon: "Leave Early and Avoid the Rush"** Depicts a chaotic domestic scene where a man violently exits through a door while a woman holds curtains. The humor satirizes the popular solution to urban crowding: fleeing the city. It suggests people are so desperate to escape congestion that they're literally running away—even from their own homes.