Life — July 24, 1931 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page **Top Cartoon ("Hands Across")**: Two figures wearing what appear to be military/fascist regalia sit together, with one asking the other "How'd you like the new preacher?" This satirizes Mussolini and Hitler (as explicitly named in the accompanying text), suggesting they're profiting from illegal revenue through black shirts and other paraphernalia. The cartoon criticizes American indifference to understanding fascism and Hitlerism. **Bottom Cartoon ("Oh, look! It's my Abie trying to speak to me!")**: Shows a séance scene where a living person attempts to communicate with ghostly hands. This appears to be a supernatural/spiritualism joke, though the specific reference is unclear from the visible text. The page demonstrates Life's anti-fascist political stance during the pre-WWII era.