Life — April 17, 1931 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Life Looks About" Page This page from *Life* magazine contains three opinion essays rather than cartoons. The header illustration shows a cherub-like figure, the magazine's mascot. The essays discuss: 1. **"Purpose and Confusion"**: References Dr. Compton (a physicist) and President Murray Butler, critiquing their views on civilization's purpose. The author suggests Butler favors Jeffersonian principles and the 18th Amendment (Prohibition). 2. **"The Magic of Property"**: Discusses Miss Ella Wendel's estate and property accumulation, using it to illustrate how wealthy landowners profit from others' labor. 3. Discusses young Rockefeller's real estate developments in Maine and New York, and the Wendels' property holdings, suggesting wealthy families concentrate land ownership. The satire critiques concentration of wealth and property among the elite during this period.