Life, 1925-10-22 · page 46 of 74
Life — October 22, 1925 — page 46: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes newspaper readers obsessed with sensational crime reporting. Five men sit reading newspapers headlined "DEATH" while a sixth figure (appearing smaller, possibly representing innocence or truth) reads "Life" magazine—suggesting he's oblivious to or above the morbid fixation. The title "The Little Leaven" references the biblical phrase about small amounts of influence spreading widely, implying that crime coverage corrupts public discourse. The joke targets how newspapers profit from death-focused stories, making violent crime entertainment for commuters. The accompanying "Life Lines" column contains brief satirical jabs at contemporary figures: Andrew Volstead (Prohibition enforcer), various athletes and institutions. The tone mocks American preoccupations with both reform efforts and celebrity culture. The cartoon reflects early 1920s anxieties about yellow journalism and sensationalism—a recurring criticism throughout this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NDREW J. VOLSTEAD, accept- ing a post with the Prohibition de- partment in the Northwest, announces that Prohibition will shortly be rigidly enforced. We await from him a simi- lar startling declaration to the effect that Mah Jong and “Yes, We Have No Bananas” are about to sweep the country. A suitable wall motto for the Votstran home would be: “Let me but write the laws of a nation and I care not who enforces them.” Reports from Egypt indicate that the Sphinx is cracking—probably from the strain of keeping a secret for six thou- sand years. aL Harry Heaty of New York had his name changed to Sciwartz so that he might marry a Jewess. And at last accounts the snakes, with a wild hissing of triumph, were descending upon Ire- land again en masse. JL Pittsburgh's new fifty-two-story uni- versity building will be visible thirty miles away, say its sponsors. What they mean, presumably, is that it would he visible thirty miles away. aL Fifty Yale men, it is learned, spent the summer in the Foro plant assembling cars. Harvard and Princeton men are eagerly watching the effect of this pre- liminary practice on the Eli football machine. JL The temple in which King Saut’s armor was hidden has been discovered in Palestine. Give the archologists time, and they'll solve some of our own murder mysteries. Kxute Rockne, coach of the Notre Dame football team, had a nervous breakdown recently. That's what comes of poring over time-tables. JL In New York the civic authorities have been conducting a campaign against crime by means of placards reading, “You Can't Win.” Unfortunately, one of the first of these was posted at the entrance to the Marriage License Bureau. Mystery “In yesterday's Times Leon Sun- shine was described as a diamoud broker. This was erroneous. Mr Sunshine is a milliner."—The New York Times. E had hoped that Mr. Sunshine would prove to be a Florida real estate salesman. THE LITTLE LEAVEN comicbooks.com