Life — July 23, 1925 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "In Ye Goode Olde Dayes: Kinge Arthur Starts Ye Conference Habit" This satirical cartoon depicts King Arthur's legendary Round Table conference, but reimagines it as a chaotic medieval gathering rather than an orderly noble assembly. The illustration shows numerous figures in period costume engaged in animated discussion and argument around and within the table setting—some standing, gesturing wildly, others appearing to debate heatedly. The satire appears to mock the contemporary "conference habit"—likely referring to early 20th-century diplomatic conferences or corporate meetings. By attributing this modern practice to King Arthur, the cartoonist suggests that endless conferencing and discussion, presented as noble tradition, actually produces disorder and inefficiency. The joke implies that conferences, though dressed up as serious business, devolve into chaotic theatricality.