Life — February 1, 1917 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This cartoon satirizes lawyers by depicting a man in a law office who declines legal consultation, saying he'll wait for "The Lawyer's Number of Life" coming next week to get free advice instead. The accompanying text announces that Life magazine will publish a special "Lawyer's Number" mocking the legal profession. The satire escalates with dark humor: Life promises to expose lawyers ("Justice will be meted out to all of them"), charge only ten cents, and offer a subscription sentence of "one year on the Island of Mirth and a fine of something like five dollars." The final jab states "If we had our way, everybody would be pronounced guilty"—suggesting lawyers deserve collective punishment. This reflects early 20th-century American skepticism toward lawyers as a self-interested profession exploiting clients.