Life, 1915-12-23 · page 7 of 40
Life — December 23, 1915 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page contrasts old and new legal systems. The poem by Walter G. Doty describes how medieval justice was swift and brutal—accused criminals were simply executed by drowning. The modern section mocks contemporary law as absurdly complex: accused persons now endure lengthy court proceedings with multiple lawyers arguing over procedural technicalities ("charges are drawn or writ"). The cartoon below illustrates this: a brutish, demonic figure labeled "Justice" stands over a dead body while a well-dressed man walks past—captioned "A PERFECT DAY!" This dark humor suggests that modern legal processes are so inefficient and corrupted that even genuine justice becomes a grotesque mockery, leaving the same moral outcome as medieval brutality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HE law was always a mystery, And ‘tis to be feared it will always be. Away back there in the olden time They haled the culprit before the court And, having accused him of the crime, They gave him trial, perhaps this sort: They cast him, bound in a wrapping stout, In a good, deep pool or watery ditch; And, if he swam out, it proved beyond doubt His guilt—or innocence—I forget which. Ridiculous, wasn't it? Here’s the way We do it in this enlightened day: The accused with his two or three men of law Comes into the court where the judges sit, And the lawyers struggle to find a flaw In the way the charges are drawn or writ. In short, they try the indictment—see?— In this great age in which we live; And a man goes free on an uncrossed ¢ Or maybe a split infinitive! Walter G. Doty. Ss Fm raed f Seeeld vated Fs * EuiSon Hoow ERI« “o perrect pay!” comicbooks.com