Life, 1917-03-15 · page 17 of 42
Life — March 15, 1917 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This *Life* magazine page satirizes American legislative overreach and moral busybodiness during the Progressive Era. The top cartoon depicts "a convention of eminent scientists near Babble-on, Long Island"—a fictional gathering mocking self-appointed experts and reformers. The article criticizes what it calls "fanatics" pushing intrusive laws: it references a Kansas legislator's bill fining cigarette smokers $25 and warns of coming medical inspectors dictating citizens' diets, speech, and breathing. The author attacks both the Democratic Administration (Southern-dominated Congress) and business monopolists who use legislation to crush competition. The lower cartoon titled "Peace Without Victory" depicts a dead figure beneath bureaucrats' feet—likely satirizing the idea that achieving "peace" through excessive regulation amounts to crushing individual liberty. The satire's point: well-intentioned reformers and busybodies, hiding behind science and morality, are destroying personal freedom through government intrusion into private life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A CONVENTION The Heyday of the Fanatic S the with its Southern domination, its Democratic Administration, pork-laden Congressmen, responsible for the cloud of evil spirits let loose all over the country? Every day in some legislature, or at Washington, bills are “that would bring the blush of shame introduced OF EMINENT SCIENTISTS NEAR BABBLE-ON, LONG ISLAND to the prize ass of Christendom. Thus we have a member of the Kan- sas legislature introducing a bill pro- viding a fine up to twenty-five dollars for anybody smoking a cigarette, no matter where he is caught, at home or in public. In business, if a certain set of men are powerful enough, they will intro- duce a bill to prevent other men less “PEACE WITHOUT VICTORY ” powerful from doing anything in com- petition with their business. America, at the present moment, is the garden spot of the world for cranks and fanatics. Nice old who have mused in their hearts for perhaps fifty ladies years some feminine theory of the uni- verse, sit in the Capitol at Washington waiting their calendar turn, Long- whiskered mental dipsomaniacs from every remote section of the land are waving clubs over innocent people whose main idea in life is to live their lives to suit themselves. Living your life to suit yourself, however, even though it may be of genuine benefit to others, is no longer en regle in the best political circles, In a short time we shall be tucked up in bed at night by medical inspec- tors. Each citizen will have to report to the local Board of Health before he goes to business. What we eat, what we drink, what we say, how we shall breathe will all be determined for us by a local board. comicbooks.com