Judge, 1895-08-10 · page 8 of 16
Judge — August 10, 1895 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Judge page satirizes Sunday closing laws—statutes prohibiting alcohol sales on Sundays that were common in American cities during the late 19th/early 20th century. **The satire's points:** The top cartoon shows "Buyer Laws" as a corrupt offspring, suggesting legislators created these laws not to enforce morality but as tools for **blackmail and bribery**—police could selectively enforce them against businesses that didn't pay. The subsequent cartoons mock the **hypocrisy and unenforceability** of such laws: a crocodile enforces rules arbitrarily; a deacon gives a dollar to a poor man to buy alcohol on Sunday while publicly preaching temperance; an angel and demon debate whether the law actually works. The satire suggests these laws were **ineffective, corrupt, and morally hollow**—creating criminal opportunity rather than genuine virtue. The "Sunday-closing movement in Africa" comparison implies American "civilization" was exporting its hypocritical practices.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Buvr Laws (fo D. 8. Hitt)— Don't turn against me, papa. You and your legislature created me, not to be enforced, but to be used for blackmail." ‘THE SUNDAY-CLOSING MOVEMENT IK AFRICA, Tue crocopiie—* What! Tryin’ t* get a drink on Synday, eh? I'll have t’ pull you in.” FOLLOWING A CLAW. * Only a dime, sir : an‘ I'll tell yer honest, I want ter buy a drink wid it.” “Sh, my good fellow, here is a dollar—and we'll xo in arm-in-arm.™ Vo Youne ranso hat did you think of my sermon on a like a drink of milk-and-honey, sir." i Dry Sundays. . Sr. Ps Now, look bere, my lad ; you can't get it to-day ne DEACON fs0n, that sermon wuz dryer'n/ wuz." and there's no use trying ; you should have filed your growier mm ” Saturday night. This ts Swaay, you know. The statue of Libert BPE! new ar NEW YORK UNDERGHE B comicbooks.com