Life, 1919-02-20 · page 9 of 34
Life — February 20, 1919 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early 20th-century American immigration and progressive reform. The headline figure "Zizski Hellovich" appears to be a caricatured Eastern European immigrant (the name suggests Eastern European origins). The cartoon depicts dockside arrival of immigrants, while the article mocks well-intentioned but patronizing reform efforts. Prominent citizens and reformers discuss "educating" immigrants and eliminating government "waste," proposing schemes to assimilate newcomers through banking and moral instruction. The satire targets both naive progressive reformers and their condescending approach to immigrants—treating them as problems requiring "education" rather than as people with agency. The dockside scene emphasizes the immigrant's outsider status, while the reformers' grandiose plans are presented as simultaneously self-serving and ineffectual.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
aT “WHY, OF COURS? Zizkski Hellovich Arrives LIFES Own Bolshevik Begins His Great Work <lgitator NEW era is about to dawn upon the Ameri At considerable expense, Lire has imported specially from Europe the celebrated Bolshevik itator, Zizkski Hello- vich, to stir things up. His were born in Jerusalem, and early an people. parents Russia and in life he was edue: eZ wean in Kansas and the == Side. Hearst wanted him, but Lire, ts accustomed enterprise, secured his exclusive services. Through the kind- ess of Mayor Hylan, Mr. Hellovich with was accorded a proper reception upon his debarkation from the steamer that hore him to our shores. A large com- composed of our most eminent pro-Germans, Sinn Feiners, pacifists and more advanced college professors, HRS ON ROARD. PATHE, Wreen’r” nd gave him three t him his weekly met him at the dock We then ps n advance, and bore him off to cheers salary ice, where we discussed the ram Lee's. ¢ future pro For the present,” said Mr. Hello- “conservatism must be our Aside from repudiating the debt and interning the heads vich, motto. natio! of all businesses, 1 shall move quictly T would suggest, however, that the red flag be placed over the City Hall on Tuesdays and Fridays, in order to ac- custom the people gradually to the new regime.” “What is your ultimate idea, Mr Hellovich?” we asked respectfully. Moving his whiskers thoughtfully to the starboard side, he said: “Ah! That is the problem that con- fronts us. T feel my responsibility deepl It is, of course, a matter of science with Getting rid of our government too quickly means, of course, that it may crop up again We must make the operation so com- plete that) government will vanish me THEY'D NEVER RE CHRFRING MIKE THAT IF OME forever “irst of all, we must strike atthe Then there will no longer be an incentive for such a vast number of people to living and put their money into hanks, those centers of plutocracy. Once rid of the home and the bank, we shall move along progressively to our revolution.” home. earn a “To do this.” we suggested, “you must first prepare the minds of the people by a process of education.” Exactly. I shall begin by writing a series of articles for the New Re- public. My motto for the present shall be ‘Down with Homie, Marriage and the Banks." A former Wall Street broker. who is engaged in a preliminary course in homb-throwing, said this morning “ Never having made an honest living before, it was comparatively easy for me to enter heart and soul into the new régime, But I confess that T did not fully appreciate its magnitude until Lire started its magnificent crusade. Mr. Hellovich has arrived on the scene at the right moment. The danger lies, comicbooks.com