Judge, 1919-05-24 · page 9 of 32
Judge — May 24, 1919 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Sotless Town": A Prohibition-Era Satire This 1920s Judge magazine page satirizes the Prohibition movement (banning alcohol, 1920-1933). The cartoon depicts "Sotless Town"—a place that has eliminated alcohol and its supposed evils—through caricatures of town figures: a banker, policeman, bishop, mayor, and rake. The satire works by showing these characters as cartoonishly "improved" by eliminating alcohol (the "Demon Rum"). The banker no longer wastes money on wine; the policeman needs no weapons; the bishop converts drinking into virtue; the mayor becomes respectable; even the rake (a dissolute character) substitutes games and clowning for drinking. The point is clear: the cartoonist is mocking Prohibition as naïve social engineering. By presenting these exaggerated, almost absurd improvements, the satire suggests that simply banning alcohol won't genuinely reform human behavior or society. The heavy-handed moralizing ("Seventh Deadly Sin," "Kingdom Come") undercuts itself through the obviously ridiculous outcomes depicted.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE BANKER HIS is the Banker of Sotless Town His “roll” is large as his renown. He wastes no gold on flowing wine When he takes notables to dine. At five the Banker’s in his cups— Observe him as he sips and sups. O Mighty Day! Millennium! Farewell to thee—O Demon Rum! THE POLICEMAN RE is the Copper of Sotless Town, Who walks his beat both up and down. He does not twirl a club or billy— In Sotless Town that would be silly He merely keeps his buttons bright And acts exceedingly polite. He dares to whistle and to hum Now that they’ve shook the Demon Rum. SOTLESS TOWN B Hlowarp Dinrz Illustrations by Raeu Barton THE BISHOP HIS is the Bishop of Sotless Town How charming are his and gown! His sermons are so crisp and short He makes of bishoping a sport hectic language does he use To make his flock abstain from booze For Sotless Town is Kingdom Come Since it forsook the Demon Rum. stole LENVOIL THs is the motto of Sotless Town: “We shun the taste that’s dark and brown We shun the tavern and the inn And thus the Seventh Deadly Sin.” And, other towns in this broad land, Let Virtue reign on every hand, vo, rid your city of its scum! Forsake the wild-eyed Demon Rum! THE MAYOR HIS is the Mayor of Sotless Town. Upon his face he wears no frown, His gait is firm, his poise crect, Here's human worthy of respect! He does not chew, he does not sf He's hown a taste for wit. \ perfect Mayor from toe to thumb Because he shuns the Demon Rum. THE HIS is the Rake of $ flagon does he ¢ n to drown, nkard does he quafl; instead He jokes, play's games, stands on his head Sometimes, it’s said, the Rake will sneer \ happy substitute for beer. Indeed he is a model bum Who shuns the deadly Demon Rum. RAKE less Town,