Life, 1919-02-13 · page 16 of 42
Life — February 13, 1919 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a savage satirical "program" mocking American government overreach during the Wilson administration (likely WWI era). The joke: Hell itself has been federalized, run by the same incompetent or tyrannical officials tormenting the living. The targets include: - **Prohibitionists** (alcohol ban enforcers) - **Herbert Hoover** (food rationing administrator) - **Postmaster-General Burleson** (censorship enforcer) - **Mayor Hylan** (NYC politician) - **George Creel** (propaganda chief) - **Senators Lodge and Chamberlain** (Wilson critics) - **Religious figures** (Billy Sunday, W.J. Bryan) The satire attacks government control of daily life (food, mail, income taxes, censorship), conscription, and the post-WWI political chaos. The cartoon bottom-left shows a small demon being expelled, captioned "GO AWAY, YOU LITTLE IMP!"—suggesting bureaucrats are worse than Hell itself. The message: wartime/postwar government expansion is so oppressive that even the damned would prefer actual demons.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
244 “LIFE: Government Control of Hades Program A. M.—Brimstone bath and rub down by trained band of selected Prohibitionists. 6:30—Home exercises superintended by government experts, with side instructions by Magazine Exercise Advertisers. 7 —Hoover breakfast. Memorizing latest food regu- Jations. 7:30—Reading aloud from Congres- sional Record. 8 —Drill by the head officer of a suburban Home Guard. 8:30—Government medical inspector injects brimstone serums, 9 —Learning by heart latest income- tax law. 10 —Address by Postmaster-General Burleson on Beauties of Zone Law and Wonderful Efficiency of Post Office Department. (During this joyful feature audience will be chained to red- hot seats.) ir —Arrival of mail, four years late. 12M.—Distribution of —to-morrow’s Hearst papers with all the patri- otic news. WHILE PASSING OUT THE MEDALS DON'T FORGET THE FLIVVER AND THE ARMY MULE 12:30 P. M.—Arrival of Mayor Hylan. 1 —Public apology for everything he has ever done, accompanied by complete history of his past life, by George Creel. —Dual explanation by Senators Lodge and Chamberlain of President Wilson’s “ fourteen points.” —Joint address by Billy Sunday and W. J. Bryan. Secing Hades on a government- owned railroad train, stopping at all furnaces for rest and recreation. —Street parade of conscientious objectors, headed by Secretary Baker. —Moving picture show, featuring, in turn, life and all acts of every member of Congress. —Grand ball of former interned German spies, under the aus- pices of Robert La Follette, W. R. Hearst, J. R. Mann, et al. —Liquid fire fox-trot. Hose held by income-tax collectors and walking delegates. —Grand assemblage at govern- ment-controlled reservoir, —“All in!” “GO AWAY, YOU LITTLE IMP!" T. LM.