Life — July 9, 1925 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical diagram depicting American society as a flat Earth, with various social groups and institutions arranged hierarchically. At the top, figures labeled "Twelve Good Men and True" ride in a box, while "Protoplasm" and evolutionary references appear above. The middle section shows "Cain and Abel's Garden of Eden Band" on the left, with a "test for good courage" referenced. The central area labels "The Earth is flat" and names various figures—Bryan, Dr. Eliot, Malone, Straton, and others—scattered in a crowd around "Exodus" and "Constitution." The bottom depicts religious/institutional authorities in descending layers, with references to "The Gideon," "Dogma," and phrases like "May the Wrath of the Lord descend upon thee, Liberals!" The cartoon appears to satirize American class divisions, religious authority, and evolutionary debates of the early 20th century.