Life, 1919-12-18 · page 16 of 56
Life — December 18, 1919 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces from Life magazine: **"Gift!"** — A poem mocking a man who sends an ex-fiancée a peacock-feather fan as a wedding gift to another man. The satire lies in the inadequacy and awkwardness of this gesture. **"Moslem Appreciation"** — The main piece. An Islamic religious leader (Abraham Effendi) reportedly praised America's Prohibition amendment, noting Islam has advocated alcohol abstention for centuries. Life's satire: if America follows Muslim doctrine on drinking, should it also adopt polygamy ("plurality of wives")? The editorial commentary undercuts Effendi's argument, noting that Christian societies thrived without abstinence, and that Prohibition-era America is now blocking the Peace Treaty—revealing hypocrisy. **"Best of the Mexicans"** — A brief note on Mexican general Felix Angeles, once newsworthy during America's Mexico interventions, now dead and forgotten. The satire suggests he was overestimated during his prominence. The shoemaker cartoon below illustrates labor disputes, unrelated to the main content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1010 Gift! HERE were thirteen little peacock feathers made into a fan, With a monogram of opals, so they That he sent, upon the marriage of a great deal younger man, To the girl who once had been his fiancée ! Moslem Appreciation BRAHAM E INDI, spiritual head of the Moslem Church, is much encouraged by the Prohibition amendment to the Constitution of the United States. As reported from Con- stantinople sby the Associated Press on November 15th, he said: Drink is the mother of all evil, and no abstention from it wrought our downfall. I am delighted to ob- serve that America is realizing God's command as spoken to our prophet. It is strange that, after thirteen and a half centuries, a new nation should adopt Prohibition, while we, whose prophet commanded it, should again begin an effort to enforce abstinence. -W.Gaauprag —~ Now then, shall this great and here- — tofore Christian nation go the rest of the way with the Moslem prophet, and allow plurality of wives? Something ought to offset the deprivation which Prohibition prescribes. The Rev. Effendi omits to observe that though neglect or abstention has upset Islam (so he implies), Christen- dom, which never until very lately made even a pretense to abstention, is still going pretty strong, though in trouble for the moment. It was not a Prohibition Christendom that fought out the war— not a Prohibitionist United States that raised five million soldiers for the rescue of Europe—but it has been a dry United States that has balked at the Peace Treaty. Best of the Mexicans IVE or six years ago when we took so much thought about Mexico Felix Angeles seemed the best Mexi- “WHAT AILETH THEF, JONATHAN? THOU SEEMEST SORE DISTRESSED.” can in sight. Then for several years Master Shoemaker: THAT AM J, WIFF, THE SHOEMAKERS’ GUILD MAKETH he faded out of public notice. Now THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS DEMANDS, THEY INSIST UPON A TWELVE-HoUR Day that he is dead, our aforetime estimate AND A PENNY A WEEK INCREASE. of him seems true. comicbooks.comm