Life, 1919-11-20 · page 31 of 46
Life — November 20, 1919 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is satirical commentary on anarchist Emma Goldman, who had recently been released from a Missouri penitentiary. The piece mocks her public complaints about poor prison food and inadequate digestion. The satire works through exaggerated mock-sympathy: the author sarcastically suggests that Goldman and fellow anarchists should spend their lives in jail—not as punishment, but as a *public service*. They could issue regular "bulletins regarding the state of their digestive organs" to inform Americans about prison conditions. The joke targets both Goldman's activism and her complaints. By presenting her prison grievances as absurd self-indulgence, Life ridicules her credibility as a social critic. The piece reflects deep contemporary hostility toward anarchists and radicals during the Red Scare era, dismissing Goldman's legitimate concerns about institutional conditions through sarcasm and mockery. The page also contains period advertisements (Resinol Soap, perfume, novels) typical of Life's commercial content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE- 873 * Houbiganty mM, Hamer ‘i FOR SALE WHERE A Great Chance for Emma Goldman | ISS EMMA GOLDMAN , released from the Missouri penitentiary, has lifted up her voice to high heaven because she feels that the food in that institution was not all that it should have been, and that her digestion was lin jeopardy. The government, hinks, was inconsiderate of her. ire points in which every good tizen should be vitally interested. If the digestions of our criminals are be impaired, or if the proper con- ion is not shown individuals preach sedition and anarchy, we cald be told about it at once. The only way in which we can learn these things with any degree of surety is to have the preachers of sedition and anarchy make careful studies of our penal institutions and report to us from time to time. The people of America would be deeply grateful to Miss Goldman if she and her asso- ciates would spend the rest of their lives in prominent jails, issuing occa- sional bulletins regarding the state of their digestive organs. an even greater work than ‘The Four Hors men of the Apocalypse.” Send for acircular of his novels. Each $1.90 E. P. DUTTON & CO., New York BLASCO IBANEZ’ vivid, powerful novels still dominate the fiction field. Read Mare Nostrum Resinol Soap + adopted for general toilet use helps nature give the skin that clearness and glow of health which it was supposed to have, reducing the tendency to excessive oiliness, clogged pores, and other skin defects. It contains no harsh drying alkali—only the same gentle, soothing ingredients which make Resinol Ointment so beneficial. Resinol ig the favorite with who like its creamy © way the Resinol € face and makes It is easy comichooks.com