Life — June 9, 1921 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The New Samaritanism" Cartoon Analysis **Top Cartoon:** Shows a man lying injured on a street while well-dressed bystanders pass by. One figure holds a club. The caption sarcastically invokes the Biblical "Good Samaritan" parable—contrasting the story's moral lesson about helping strangers with modern urban indifference. The club-wielder appears to have *caused* the injury, and onlookers ignore the victim. This satirizes how contemporary society failed to embody Christian charity despite claiming moral values. **Bottom Section:** A grocer's comic exchange mocks economic inequality—a customer complains about overcharging, and the grocer dismisses concern for ethical business. This reinforces the "New Samaritanism" theme: modern society prioritizes profit over human welfare. Both pieces critique the gap between professed Christian morality and actual social behavior.