Life, 1919-06-19 · page 17 of 42
Life — June 19, 1919 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes Methodist hypocrisy regarding "civilization." The Methodist Episcopal Church has raised $140 million for a centenary fund claiming to "raise civilization to a higher level," but the article questions whether Methodists themselves embody civilization. The accompanying cartoon (captioned "You stay right here, Henry! She's a vamp!") depicts a well-dressed woman at Newport (an elite seaside resort) warning a boy away from another fashionable woman. The satire's point: Methodists preach moral elevation while the wealthy "smart set" at Newport—likely including Methodists themselves—live indulgently and judgmentally. The article further argues that wealth alone (citing Carnegie and Rockefeller) cannot improve civilization; only living civilized lives matters. The implication is that Methodists, despite their moral pretensions, are "wild and rampageous," narrow-minded, and more interested in restricting others' behavior than exemplifying virtue themselves.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
————— 4——- HE Methodist Episcopal Church has undertaken to raise a centenary fund of $140,000,000 to be used “to take advantage of the present remark- able opportunity to raise civilization to a higher level.” Late in May they had already raised $95,673,197 (in sub- scriptions), and were going strong to get the balance. They will raise the money—no doubt of that; they have got it and they will give it. But how about the rest of their un- dertaking? Can they raise civilization to a higher level? Have they the fa- cilities? Have they the liberal spirit? “YOU STAY RIGHT HEKE, HENRY! WITH THE SMART SET AT NEWPORT Are the Methodists Civilized > Do they know about civilization? Do they themselves circulate in its higher levels, and do they hope to haul the world up to their perch, or do they aspire to boost it up from where they are, and then, maybe, climb up after it? Money, even a lot of money, will not do much to raise civilization to a higher level. If a hundred and forty millions would have hoisted it appre- ciably Mr. Carnegie would have raised it several pegs, and Uncle John Rocke- feller several more. Probably the Laird has raised it a little, and Uncle John a little also, but the great way to raise the level of civilization is to be- come civilized and live the civilized life, and how far the Methodists do that or can do it, is really a question for experts. They strike the contemplative mind as a fairly wild and rampageous lot of people, with contracted ideas of hu- man life, and an urgent disposition to pare down their fellow creatures to the dimensions of that restricted nvodel. Most of them would regard as a joke the intimation that Methodists are lag- gers rather than leaders in civilization, but a lot of strong, enthusiastic support sues A var!” comicbooks.com