Life, 1919-03-20 · page 14 of 44
Life — March 20, 1919 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon shows a grand government building (likely Congress) with chaos erupting—a fountain exploding with what appears to be alcohol, while officials scatter about in disarray. Below, a domestic scene mocks Prohibition's enforcement. A bishop declines ice cream at dinner, claiming moral refinement ("No, thank you, my son. Now you ask me"). A woman counters that Prohibition will be expensive, requiring payment to support a "Government inspector"—implying officials will be bribed to ignore bootlegging. The final caption, from "The Gob" (sailor slang), expresses contempt: "I HATE A GUY WHAT AIN'T GOT NO REFINEMENT!"—sarcastically suggesting that refined people like the bishop secretly drink while working-class folks face prosecution. The satire targets Prohibition's selective enforcement and class-based hypocrisy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OUR BOLSHEVIK PRESIDENT ADDRESSES CONGRESS OBBIE (at dinner): Bishop, won't you have some more 1° SUPPOSE our Prohibition will come high.” ice cream? “High! That’s no name for it. In addition to paying Tue Bisnor (genially): No, thank you, my son, for the booze, we shall have to support the government “Now you ask me.” inspector.”