Life, 1920-07-01 · page 36 of 56
Life — July 1, 1920 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The cartoon "The Worm Will Turn" depicts a small figure (representing the common person or "the worm") finally standing up to larger figures ganging up on him—a visual metaphor for ordinary citizens rebelling against oppression. The accompanying text is **satirical mock-celebration** of Prohibition's first anniversary (July 1, 1920). Rather than genuinely praising alcohol's ban, it exposes the hypocrisy and unintended consequences: the schedule lists events honoring temperance while simultaneously noting who profits from Prohibition—Cuban rum traders, Montreal whiskey sellers, drug manufacturers, and "professional lobbyists." The staged "pageant" where "St. George" (Prohibition) defeats "The Flagon" further mocks the crusade's moral posturing. The instruction that liquor dealers should "close their saloons at 6 p.m. sharp" is darkly ironic, implying they'll reopen later. The overall point: **Prohibition created organized crime and corruption while enriching smugglers and black-market operators**—the stated goal of eliminating alcohol abuse masked actual social damage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WORM WILL TURN “YOU FELLOWS HAVE PICKED ON ME LONG ENOUGH” A Glorious Anniversary HE first anniversary of the de-alco- holization of the United States of America will be celebrated on July 1, 1920, with appropriate exercises con- ducted under the auspices of the Anti- Saloon League. The official program of events for the day is as follows: 10:00 A. M horal Society of School Children will proceed to the Central Park Reservoir and sing “Drink to Me Only with Thine s" and “Tl See You in C-U-B-A 10:30 A. M.—Officials of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union will place a floral wreath upon the Old Oaken Bucket. 11:00 A. M.—Officials of the Ex-Barten- ders’ Union will place a floral wreath upon the Lion Brewery. 12:00 M.—Free lunch. 2:00 p. M.—The author of the Volstead Act will be presented with a pewter loving cup (empty) by the Associa- tion of Those Who Have Profited by Prohibition, including represent- atives of the Boards of Trade of Havana (Cuba) and Montreal (Que- hec), druggists, vaudeville comedians, manufacturers of “water” stills, pro- fessional lobbyists and musical come- dy librettists. 3:15 p. M.—Address in the City College Stadium by Professor Innis Trevor Gribble on “The Psychology of the Still; or, Every Man’s Kitchen His Chemical Laboratory.” Sample cakes of yeast and simple recipes will be presented to all. Admission by card. 5:00 Pp. M—Pageant and masque en- titled “How St. George Slew the Flagon,” interpreted by the follow- ing distinguished cast: St. George (Prohibition), Wm. H. Anderson Rye sssvesses - William Sunday Gin .. -Colonel Bryan Vermouth...Dr. John Roach Straton The Flagon ...Pussyfoot Johnson 7:00 p, M.—Fireworks, but no fire-water. The day will be one of national rejoic- ing, and it is therefore urged that all liquor dealers enter into the spirit of the occasion and close their saloons at 6 P. a. sharp. R. E, Sherwood, The Pup Speaks M’* dad is home from overseas, It makes your spine just creep an? freeze, When he tells of the fights he saw; He got a wound in his left paw Draggin’ a man from some old well Where he was buried by a shell. A general stooped an’ kissed dad, too, The way the French with heroes do, An’ fastened on his collar there Before the troops, a Croix de Guerre. My dad is awful modest, though He used to win at bench an’ show Medals an’ bands an’ silver cups— But now he tells us proud-eared pups He'd rather have that cross he got Than all the prizes in the lot. I don’t think fights are any fun, T always want to bark an’ run, But I'll try stickin’ to ’em, for When T grow up, if there’s a war I'm goin’, just because I had A real, true hero for a dad! comicbookMeuwd NICAL OTT