Judge, 1923-03-03 · page 14 of 36
Judge — March 3, 1923 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is Ralph Barton's satirical cartoon about the theatrical production of "Rain," W. Somerset Maugham's famous play adapted by John Colton and Clemence Randolph. The story centers on a missionary (Rev. Davidson) attempting to "purify" the South Seas by teaching natives about sin—a concept they didn't previously understand. The satire targets missionary hypocrisy: the reverend's crusade to eliminate "sin" through education ironically introduces depravity to innocent populations. The cartoon depicts fashionable theater-goers surrounding the play's cast, including the famous role of Sadie Thompson, a prostitute. Barton's joke: buying theater tickets and waiting your turn to see "Rain" is the "sensible thing"—because the play's scandalous content offers more entertainment than any moral instruction. The satire mocks both missionary zeal and the theater-going public's appetite for titillating subject matter dressed up as serious art.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Saving the South Seas from Sin—By Ralph Barton ht AD X AMY A K q By To sensible thing to do about “Rain” is to buy the first avail- Rey. Davidson, the missionary who sets out to purify the South Seas by teaching the natives what sin is and who ends ina : “Miss Thompson,” dramat combustion of suppres: i dolph, offers about all t Mr. Robert K 1 Miss Catherine Brool ‘ specimen, is reading trade! the Marin (starred by F the most vividly interesting play on the season's menu as it should Thompson, the daughter of joy from Honolulu, has nothing to worry about for some time to come but head colds from her daily dousing 12 be read. |