Life, 1919-05-15 · page 16 of 50
Life — May 15, 1919 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct cartoons satirizing early 20th-century social issues. **"What Every Husband Knows"** (bottom left): A domestic humor cartoon showing a husband waiting while his wife delays coming downstairs. The joke plays on the common complaint that wives take excessive time preparing themselves—a standard trope of the era's "battle of the sexes" humor. **"If Wishes Came True"** (top right): Two elongated, spindly-legged figures stand at a "Ball Grounds Entrance" with a "Post No" sign. The satire likely mocks wishful thinking about social prohibition—possibly Prohibition's enforcement or the idealistic notion that rules can solve human problems without genuine compliance. **The main text** advocates "self-government under one's hat"—essentially arguing that personal moral character and self-control (not external laws or government mechanisms) are society's true foundation. This reflects contemporary debates about Prohibition, labor unrest, and whether legislation alone could reform society. **"Squeezed Out"** (bottom): A joke where a man is "perturbed" by Prohibition—not because he drinks, but because he manufactures cork-screws, facing economic ruin from the alcohol ban.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LSWEAB * ever they achieve that looks good to us, and having great that beset them In time they will work out something, and we will accept it for better or wor: nd make the best of it, and use all we can of it in our busi- patience with them when the difficultie: are too much for their skill. ness. If it is not good enough to last, it will at least he good enough to be improved, and we can work along with it until improvement can be effected. But about the regulation of the highly important little worlds under our several hats there need be no delay, nor any waiting on experts. We can put them to rights if we have the will and can discover the No rule of the Peace League will forbid us to fortify them against ad- versity, nor limit what armament we may contrive to make them safe. There was a poet who wrote, “ My mind to me a kingdom is,” and another who averred from his hospital The only kingdom that amounts to much nowadays is the kingdom of the bed, “1 am the captain of my: soul.” mind, and the mastery best worth maintaining is still the The kingship of the mind, the mastery of the soul, do not depend on the agreements of mastery of one’s own soul nations, It is the other way about, The fate of nations depends upon individual men and what goes on under their hats. If there are not enough people who are self-govern- ing and self-governed, self-government for nations won't work. The greatest thing in the world is not advertise- ment, nor organization, nor efficiency, nor sea-power, nor air-power. nor any mechanism from a government to a gu he greatest thing in the world is a man, and the WHAT EVERY HUSBAND KNOWS Voice from Upstairs: JUST A MOMENT, ARTHUR—I'LL BE RIGHT DOWN ¢ | GROUNDS ENTRANCES” —————! SS Ie WISHES CAME TRUE greatest kingdom and the best worth ruling i under his hat What is the cure for Bolshevism? Self-government under one’s hat What is the cure for capitalism and laborism, and nati alism, and materialism, and jingoism, and race antipa and all the unruly ambitions and desires that tease an bedevil mankind ? The same remedy for all: self-government under one own hat: seli-government based on realization that t highest office is to serve, and that the door of happines is love. That is religion and patriotism and the road t true civilization and real progress. Self-control, selé-r spect and self-abnegation are the bases of character, a it is on character, human character, that the world 1 depend Get to work, everybody, and make some characte! wt is not a factory product, nor ever will be. by day in the little world under one’s hat. Tt is made da Squeezed Out “HESSEER is greatly perturbed over the Prohibition = measures.” “T did not know that he was addicted to the use of in toxicants.” “Oh, he isn’t He's president of a cork-screw factory.” comicbooks.com