Life — July 1, 1920 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon critiques banking hypocrisy during World War I. A stern banker refuses to cash a small two-dollar check without identification, yet casually instructs a child to deliver $2 million in Liberty Bonds (government war bonds) to the "Ostrich Trust Company" without any verification or receipt. The joke exposes the contradiction: banks demand rigorous documentation for ordinary transactions but show reckless indifference regarding massive government securities. The "ostrich" reference likely suggests the banks' willingness to ignore risk when profits are involved—burying their heads like ostriches. The cartoon mocks conservative bankers' selective application of caution, suggesting they use strict identification policies as obstacles for ordinary citizens while eagerly handling war bonds for patriotic (and profitable) purposes.