Life — April 3, 1919 — page 40: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes post-WWI anxieties about Bolshevism and social upheaval in early 1920s America. Key cartoons include: **"The Spirit is in the Air"**: Fanaticism (depicted as a demon/spirit) spreads chaos, referencing Red Scare fears of communist ideology infiltrating society. **"The Order of the Bath"**: Mocks Bolshevik bathing rules as absurdly restrictive—class-based bathing schedules ridiculing Soviet egalitarian policies as impractical. **"Soaking him in the Eye"**: Shows Wilson (likely) being attacked by various labeled spheres (appears to reference domestic and international criticisms), suggesting the president under assault from multiple directions. The cartoons express American middle-class concerns about revolutionary socialism, class conflict, and perceived threats to traditional order during the turbulent post-war period.