Life — September 13, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 411 The top illustration satirizes wealthy industrialists' hypocrisy regarding child labor. The caption quotes a gentleman praising "arbuthnos" (likely a fictional wealthy family) for raising children as "useful citizens," while noting these same rich children "can't stop working"—a sarcastic jab at how the wealthy exploit poor children's labor while their own offspring remain idle. The Mother Goose and Old Mother Hubbard verses below appear to be satirical retellings mocking economic inequality and poverty. The "little man" story references someone attempting to use an old, non-functional gun—possibly satirizing the desperate circumstances of the poor. The small illustration labeled "A SOT TO CERBERUS" appears to reference classical mythology, though its specific satirical meaning is unclear without additional context.