Judge — September 13, 1924 — page 45: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical comic strip depicts the consequences of alcoholism on a working-class family. The narrative follows a father's broken promises: he pledges to return home from work promptly, but instead frequents bars. The strip shows the resulting domestic collapse—the fire goes out, the house grows cold and dark, the mother watches anxiously, and the children suffer. One child becomes ill while in another's arms. The letter at the bottom, from a reader, reinforces the moral: a drunkard's daughter must "stop crying" and prevent her mother from drinking to cope with despair. The satire targets alcohol's destructive social effects, a common Progressive-era concern. The "curse" is portrayed as a cycle of poverty, neglect, and desperation affecting entire families—particularly women and children left vulnerable. This reflects early-20th-century temperance advocacy, which blamed alcohol for working-class misery and family breakdown.