Life — November 1, 1923 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Skeptics' Society" — Life Magazine Cartoon This satirical cartoon illustrates the proverb "the early bird catches the worm" through a darkly humorous scene. A group of skeptical figures (appearing to represent doubters or cynics) gather around a large worm dangling from a tree branch at sunrise. The composition suggests they're testing whether the saying holds true. The joke appears to target people who question conventional wisdom or folk sayings—the "skeptics" are so determined to verify this common adage that they've assembled to conduct an actual experiment. The silhouetted style and the surreal staging create satire about over-analytical thinking and the absurdity of laboriously testing what everyone already accepts as true.