Life — July 5, 1923 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# State Supervision for Family Picnics This satirical article by Don Herold describes the author's scheme to have state police supervise family picnics to prevent arguments and discord. The humor relies on the absurd idea of government oversight intruding into private leisure activities. The cartoon illustrations show the picnic scenario and, in the bottom image, police officers interacting with a family during their outing. The caption jokes about tipping the taxi driver: "DID YOU GIVE THE TAXI DRIVER A SATISFACTORY TIP?" / "I DID, BUT IT WASN'T." The satire targets mid-20th century concerns about bureaucratic expansion and social regulation, poking fun at how state intervention—intended to solve problems—becomes itself intrusive and ridiculous when applied to everyday family activities like picnicking.