Life, 1923-05-31 · page 26 of 37
Life — May 31, 1923 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces from Life magazine (likely early 1920s, given the Harding reference). **Top cartoon**: A humorous prehistoric scene where hunters pursue a dinosaur with spears that prove ineffective, so one invents the lasso out of necessity. This is a visual pun on the title—a lighthearted joke requiring no political context. **Bottom piece**: "Overheard at the Moron Club" mocks wealthy businessmen and manufacturers. Two speakers dismiss farmers as "ignorant" and praise "the thinking classes" (industrialists) while opposing labor unions and the "closed shop." The satire lies in the title—Life is calling these supposedly intelligent business leaders "morons" for their elitist dismissal of farmers and their anti-labor stance. This reflects 1920s tensions between agricultural interests, big business, and organized labor, with the magazine satirizing the manufacturers' arrogant assumption that only wealthy industrialists represent genuine intelligence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ww. Dt ENRIQK T-, Necessity Is the Mother of Invention Finding the spears ineffective, a member of the hunting party invents the lasso. Overheard at the Moron Club HEN President Harding starts out on his speaking tour I hope he will say something good and strong about this farm bloc that has been running Congress for the past two years. Nice state of affairs, isn’t it, when a bunch of jay Sena- tors and Representatives get together and decide to pass laws wanted by a lot of ignorant farmers.” “Yes, and he ought to come out plainly for the open shop. The National Association of Manufacturers, representing the thinking classes who have put their money in our industries, and all the big business organizations, are opposed to labor-union control of working hours and wages. Congress ought to pass a law against this closed shop foolishness.” comicbooks.com