Life — November 27, 1919 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine Page 890 - Analysis This page contains satirical commentary on post-WWI American politics and society. The top cartoon jokes about animal identification, likely mocking public confusion or political rhetoric. The main piece, "Put Our House in Order!" critiques widespread social problems: corruption among politicians and profiteers, church hypocrisy, labor unrest, poverty, and profiteering on Wall Street. The skeleton figure titled "The Man Who Waited to Get His Number" appears to reference death or fate, suggesting these problems persist unaddressed. The poem catalogs societal ills—from "smug reformers" to "hypocrites," wounded veterans hidden from sight, and financial exploitation—while repeatedly insisting "we must put our house in order." The satire suggests American institutions have failed to address fundamental social injustices despite wartime sacrifice.