Life, 1921-02-03 · page 7 of 46
Life — February 3, 1921 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains two distinct elements: **Upper section:** An article titled "Don't Knock 'Em!" by Dr. Samuel A. Elliot of Boston argues that Mayflower ancestry shouldn't determine a person's worth. He satirizes Americans who brag about Pilgrim lineage while being "illiterate and essentially plebeian," suggesting such ancestry claims are overvalued in determining social importance. **Lower section:** A sketch by Kerr Eby depicts a poor girl visiting Washington Market with her mother for the first time, asking "Mama, is this Heaven?" The caption satirizes the contrast between urban poverty and abundance—the girl's wonder at the market's plenty reveals the deprivation of her normal circumstances, critiquing economic inequality in early 20th-century America.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Don’t Knock "Em! R. SAMUEL A. ELLIOT, of Boston, asserts that the Mayflower Pilgrims were “very ordinary village people,” illiterate and essentially plebeian. Shock- ing as this accusation is, it is of no per- manent importance. Mayflower ancestry Drawn by Kerr Eby is Mayflower ancestry. It is a matter settled by genealogists, not by grammar- ians. You've either got it or you haven't got it. If yousare descended from the Mayflower, you belong. Isn't it a great thing to belong? Well, rather. What dif- ference does it make whether your special Mayflower forbear could read and write or not? You've got his name and num- ber and you need it in your business as an American exclusive. Enough said. "Rah for the Mayflowers—literate or illiterate! FREPORM in haste, repent in Iei- sure. Poor little girl (visiting Washington Market with her mother for the first time) : MAMA, IS THIS HEAVEN? comicbooks.com