Judge — April 9, 1921 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“He REFUSED TO Go To CHURCH, A SPENT THE He RS IN GODLESS PLAY.” Rebuking Sin By Waur Mason Ratrpu Barton Illustration by E moralists are feeling gay, and much delight in life we take; we've had a busy, merry day—we burned some fellows at the stake. Since we have tightened up the laws so death’s the punishment for crime, there’s been a boom for virtue’s cause, reformers have a bully time The stake is on the village green, a site we think beyond compare, and every morning may be scen some sinful people burning there. The washerwomen living near don’t seem to think our graft a joke; they say the air’s no longer clear, but always full of soot and smoke, and when they hang the washing out, and go to gossip in the streets, the cinders from some burn ing scout blow up and blacken shirts and sheets. But knockers always raise a din, at every forward step we take; and we'll go on rebuking sin and burning voters at the ke ‘oday we roasted William Jones, whe vicious chaps; men said he often rolled the bones, and spent his evenings shooting craps. He put up quite a cheap defense, which with his judges cut no ice; he argued that there was no sense in burning men for shakin “In this here town,” said William Jones, “my credit stands without a flaw; no man can say I owe him bones, a sheriff's writ I never saw. Some nineteen children I have reared, and kept them decked in garments brave, e’en though I had to wear a For thirty years I toiled long has ranked with beard because I couldn’t buy a shave. and wrought, and never wasted half a day; my wages to my fe 1 brought whenever I had drawn my pay. And if per chance L shook the dice or played a game of dominoes, will not »¢ out trifling sins like those?” f justice then my record good suffice to w “When facing such appalling sin,” the lord ch remarked, “the days of toil you have put in won't keep your shins from being barked.” And so we took him to the stake, and watched the and moralists who saw him bake were flames around him reel filled with added pious zeal We also roasted Reuben Birch, who fished upon the Sabbath he refused to go to church, and spent the hours in they said he day; ye godless play. His friends came forth to intercede was a worthy man; there always are vile skates to plead for ne Who gets the can. They said his duties kept him tied labors, through the week; he seldom had a chance down to the creek His wife, a in bed, was hungering for be k he sped, and caught some fish—and got in every ¢ to heavy to slide some fish to seck eless shad, so to woman sick a sylvan bi bad. But such excuses punk appear, when sinners come before the judge; that great man merely bats an car, and murmurs Piffle!" “Slush!” or “ Fudge’ And so we toasted Reuben Birch ners gay, who don’t sing hymns or go to church, but ride in cars as we shall toast all sin on Sabbath Day comicbooks.com