Life — February 20, 1919 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Page 280 of Life Magazine: Analysis This page contains three distinct items: **"Incense"** (poem, top left): A brief verse by Mabel Haughton Colbome mocking pretentious behavior—specifically someone claiming to smell "du" (French perfume) while actually experiencing common odors. It's gentle satire of affectation. **"The Uses of Sin"** (essay, left column): A serious piece debating whether Prohibition and moral restrictions were wise policy. A dissenter argues that "Sin" is merely "a relic of barbarism" and questions whether abolishing vices (coffee, tea, tobacco) actually improves morality. **"Highly Important"** (right): Reports that a millionaire paid seventy thousand dollars for sable skins. The article notes this is newsworthy to the *Times* because it demonstrates what the wealthy can afford—satirizing both wealthy excess and newspapers' focus on such trivia. **"Another Heavy Bombardment"** (cartoon, bottom left): Shows a figure buried under papers/documents—likely satirizing bureaucratic overwhelm or excessive correspondence.