Life — June 3, 1920 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon from *Life* magazine depicting a figure labeled "G.O.P." (Republican Party) kneeling in prayer beside a bed, with the caption "If I should die before I wake..." The cartoon references the children's prayer "Now I lay me down to sleep / If I should die before I wake..." to mock the Republican Party's precarious political position. The figure's posture—on knees in apparent desperation—suggests the GOP faced existential political danger and was literally praying for survival. Without a visible date, the specific historical crisis is unclear, but this likely references a period when Republicans faced significant electoral or institutional threats. The crude, exaggerated rendering emphasizes the cartoon's contemptuous tone toward the party.