Judge — December 17, 1881 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge cartoon critiques a child-welfare organization's misguided priorities. The top panel shows a judge arresting "Little Corinne" in a theater—presumably for performing or vagrancy. The bottom panel, set in a rum shop, depicts the same organization's representative surrounded by children in a bar, seemingly doing nothing to protect them. The satire's point: the caption "A Society That Has Mistaken Its Mission" suggests the organization aggressively pursues minor theatrical infractions (top) while ignoring genuine child endangerment in saloons (bottom). The cartoon attacks the society for theatrical moralism—cracking down on entertainment venues—while neglecting actual harm to children in places serving alcohol. It's a critique of selective, performative morality masquerading as child protection.