Judge, 1909-04-17 · page 4 of 16
Judge — April 17, 1909 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a social-reform comic strip illustrating alcohol's destructive effects on families, a major concern during the temperance movement era. The narrative follows a man's deterioration through drink: 1. He's "in for a bird" (arrested/drunk) 2. He staggers home 3. His wife confronts him about his condition 4. He's shown dead or dying 5. His grieving mother laments his fate 6. The final panel shows the family destroyed: "Thus another home blasted by drink!" The accompanying article "Accounting for the Death Rate" connects excessive mortality in the town to alcohol consumption. The portrait of "Henrietta Crosman in 'Sham'" represents theatrical morality entertainment—performances promoting sobriety that were popular during this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘THE CURSE OF STRONG DRINK. 9 we eo Mr. Henry "1" oD might as well stay (ack) first as last (hie, Perhaps » perhaps thie) she thicd, If she does, then all ‘s well. Cares that infest the day. ACCOUNTING FOR THE DEATH RATE, “ey UNDERSTAND there nteen m deaths in this town last year than th . How do you account “inquired an r of the health com- | missi whom i dl to me | “There were ‘nteen more automobiles,’’ was the quick | reply, as he looked out of the window in time to see another victim added to the list. 0 say, She'll + throw a fit and say she ’s erdear mother, —— But bless her innocent soul ! her dear old mother was fricas- Haw, haw ! seed some moons ago.” Ee ns 4 . | we ‘ ty ae || sy ‘nl if pp lt HER ii TEI aa) L i te SS 5 — ' on you to come home in such a —— Oh, you wretch! Now you ‘ve broken up our family. expectancy! What will your Thus another home blasted by drink!" comicbooks.com