Life, 1917-09-27 · page 27 of 40
Life — September 27, 1917 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page satirizes American Prohibition—the ban on alcohol (1920-1933). The main cartoon depicts a dead fish labeled "WAR" with soldiers standing on its body, titled "Sixteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest" (a pirate reference). This likely comments on World War I's devastation. The "New Verse" mocks Prohibitionists through dark humor: ten Prohibitionists gradually die through increasingly absurd causes, until the last one moves to Maine and "drank himself to death"—the punchline being that even strict Prohibitionists secretly drank. The "In Maine" dialogue reinforces this hypocrisy: a self-proclaimed Prohibitionist, who became one after running on a Prohibition ticket, now openly drinks cocktails. The other brief jokes ("Applying It," the mother-child exchange) are unrelated humor. The overall message: Prohibition was widely ignored and hypocritically violated by its own advocates.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE HAPPY ENDING “Sixteen men on a dead man’s chest” New Verse EN little Prohibitionists sat on a fence. One took a couple of ice cream sodas and a quart of grape juice, and hence There were only nine. Nine little Prohibitionists in the gallery of Congress sat. One of them listened to the impassioned oratory until he didn’t know where he was at, And then there were only eight Eight little Prohibitionists with one another associated. One of them couldn't stand the close proximity of so many others, and was promptly asphyxiated. Then there w n. Seven little Prohibitionists the laws of reason, humanity, temperance, common sense and other things defied. So that six of them promptly died. Then there was one. He moved to Maine and drank himself to death Applying It HATIERSON: That will-power expert is fine. He told me this morning that every day I must positively do something that I shrink from, Mrs. Hatterson: Then you can take me to the matinée to-d: EVER repeat a poor excuse. It may be better than none the first time, but the second time it is much worse than none. In Maine “LJOW long have you been a Prohibitionist, old chap?” “Ever since I ran for mayor on the Prohibition ticket. What'll you have, a dry Martini or an orange blos- som?” I HEARD YOU TELL SISTER N'T WORRY, MOTHER, SHE NEVER DOES WHAT I TELL HER.”