Life, 1924-09-25 · page 11 of 37
Life — September 25, 1924 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents satirical editorial commentary on the Ku Klux Klan. The illustration at top shows KKK members in their characteristic robes and hoods. The text discusses how attitudes toward the Klan vary geographically—greater concern in northern cities (New York, Boston, Chicago) versus indifference in southern states. The author argues the real solution is education: "The great trouble with the Ku Klux is ignorance. Cure that, and you cure the Klan" (attributed to Edward S. Martin). The editorial also contrasts the KKK with other groups like Catholics and Jews, suggesting these communities pose no threat to American democracy. The bottom illustration depicts five diverse male faces—likely representing different ethnic or religious groups—countering the Klan's exclusionary ideology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Ku Klux HEN one talks about the Ku Klux he talks about a * lot of people, some good, some bad; all apparently lish in that they have taken up with a bad means to complish some things they think desirable, but some ich more foolish than others. Really good minds seem be scarce among the Ku Kluxers. One may doubt if whole band of them includes a first-rate mind reason- ily well informed as to people and affairs in this world. There is so much nonsense about that organization that it hard to discuss it seriously. At best it is credited with . desire to maintain in the United States the dominance of ¢ breed and sentiments of the founders of the Republic. ts members are strongly in favor of the 100 per cent. \merican; possibly it is the leading organization of all ose that favor that species. They do not want the untry overrun with newcomers. They do not want too ny Jews; indeed, they do not scem to want any. They cept the theory that the Nordics are the most valuable xisting breed of man, but their great bugaboo is the ‘oman Catholic Church. They sit up nights to be scared that great organization. They do not want Catholics \ office. Their notion of improving society is to do it by ceret oath-bound men, disguised in hoods and gowns, who Il visit persons whose deportment, race or religion is dis- pproved and scare or flog them into better sentiments. eee WELL, now, a good many people outside of the Ku Klux ive a leaning towards the old American stock and want » have the ideals of the Fathers perpetuated in so far as hey are good, and are nervous about the number of Jews nd their remarkable capacity for accumulating property, nd the possibility of their getting financial control of the So there are also plenty of people, millions of hem, who keep a jealous eye on the Roman Catholic Church nd do not want it to become a dominant political power 1 the United States, and are ready to turn in and beat it n occasion at the polls when some issue may arise to make it necessary. But as for going into the Ku Klux, people f a fair amount of sense know that Ku Klux methods are no cure for anything. People with a little more sense know hat Jews are valuable, and include a large proportion of ble and intelligent people, who help the development of the country. As for the Roman Catholics, it is to be noted that the scare about them prevails most in the States where there are not many of them in sight. In New York, Boston and Chicago, where they abound, they do not cause more than moderate apprehension. In Georgia, in Texas, in Indiana, where the proportion of them to the general popu- lation must still be pretty small, there is the most uneasiness about them. eee One thing we might as well recognize about this coun- try, that there are a lot of different kinds of people here and all factors in the making of a new race, a job which is in process, but hardly more than begun. You may not like Jews, but the Jews are here, about three and a half millions of them, and cannot and will not be driven out nor disciplined by pogroms. They will have the same protection from the laws that other people have. Their virtues will make credit for them, their defects will hold them back. eee As for the Catholics, there are twenty millions or so of them. Does anybody think they would be better people if they did not have the Catholic Church? So far as re- ligion goes, that church is a Christian Church and very deeply penetrated by Christianity. What scares people is not its religion, but its organization under foreign control. It is powerful and is held indeed to be the most powerful organization in the world. But folks have little confidence in the United States and the American ideal and the Ameri- can population who do not think that those forces will do more to the Roman Catholic Chufch than the Roman Catholic Church will do to them. Folks who think there are enough Catholics in the country already, and that there is no use of working to increase them, must be scandalized by the Ku Klux, for nothing could stimulate Catholic zeal more effectively than Ku Klux persecution. Far more prevalent than anti-Catholic feeling, than anti-Jew feeling or anti-alien feeling is the sentiment for order and fair play. Get after the Catholics and you will raise up Protes- tant protectors for them by the million. eee Tue great trouble with the Ku Klux is ignorance. Cure that, and you cure the Klan. Edward S. Martin. comicbooks.com