Life, 1916-11-23 · page 29 of 40
Life — November 23, 1916 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This allegorical tale satirizes the corrupting influence of immoral environments on virtuous people. The devils represent those with low moral standards; the angels represent the righteous. When devils infiltrate an angel community, they gradually convert everyone to their corrupt ways through patient, strategic deception—"exercising tact" until the angels willingly become like them. The angel mayor who resists represents principled integrity. When he returns years later attempting reform, he's imprisoned and sentenced to death for virtues (truth, honesty, faith, hope, charity) that society now views as dangerous threats. **The satire's message**: A community that abandons moral standards becomes hostile to goodness itself. The moral: "What you are depends upon where you live"—environment shapes character, for better or worse. This likely critiques social corruption, moral compromise in institutions, or the difficulty of reform once a society has become fundamentally compromised. The piece warns that incremental moral decline makes virtue itself seem threatening.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Fable NCE upon a time there was a family of devils who lived together very happily. There were a big devil and a little devil, and several other devils in between. One day while they were all eating their dinner nicely there came out of the clear sky a tornado, and before they could do anything about it the tornado had taken up the house and carried it across the country and set it down in the midst of a community of angels. “What funny people they all are!” said one of the little devils. “ Why, they are quite different from us.” As for all the angels, they stuck up their noses at the devils, and instructed an official to serve a notice upon them that they would have to move their house away at once. The father devil, however, said, “ No.” “My children,” he solemnly observed, “these people need us. Beelzebub un- doubtedly sent us here to convert them. We must remain in this community at all hazards and devote our whole lives to making them as we are. First, we must do nothing to offend them, until they get so they like us. The rest will be easy.” By exercising tact, this ambitious fami- ly of devils succeeded. In the course of time they had converted all the angels in the place to their ideas, so that they all became devils. It was a great work. There was, however, one exception to this rule, and that was the angel mayor. He absolutely refused to become a devil. He hung out so, and was so downright obstinate about it, that the devils had to The American Express Wavel Department ‘ANNOUNCES, A Cruise to the West | Indi ry Vielting Cuba, Jam: 24 RES TFUL "DAYS away tom ‘Winter in the romantic American Tropics. Luxurious steamer of the United Fruit Company, —an American steamer under the American Flag. Numerous shore excursions. First Cru’ Ask fee Booklet AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY 6 Becadewar, New York City Chicago FULL OF LIFE Lite meane prety picrares everrebere.._Let us send you ot “Her Home,"* and tree samples of those dainty loore Glass Push-Pins Debs Hlaneers and other push devices to hel make Jout home dan ‘olor Decoration. Will pot mar the 206 pats. Wh the Twist, tor heavy pictures) or by mail. LOUIS ROEDERER CHAMPAGNE “Ghe Finest Beoduct that Moan has duawn from Voature ” Brut SpecraL Cuver VINTAGE 1904-1906 Granp Vin Sec (Brown LABEL) San Francice | get rid of him. He was ordered away, and became an exile. After this, everybody having been con- verted to the new state of things, an ideal devil community was evolved, and everybody was happy. Judge, however, of their annoyance when one day some years later, when he had practically been forgotten, the old mayor angel came back, flourishing in his hand a twisty harp and flapping his wings zealously. “Tt is my mission,” he said, “to con- vert you back into angels. I shall never rest until I do it” So he began. The first day he was locked up for telling the truth. The second day he was indicted for common honesty, and his picture was placed in the good man’s gallery. The third day they had him up on three charges, viz.: Faith, Hope and Charity. He was committed without bail and sentenced to be destroyed. The head devil judge, in passing sentence, said: “His record shows there is no hope for him. His influence among us is so dangerous that this community must pro- tect itself, otherwise our society could not exist. This prisoner is a thoroughly good man. He must be put out of the way.” Morat What you are depends upon where you live MOORE PUSHIN CO., Dept. 32, comicbooks.com