Judge — January 31, 1925 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a tall, skeletal figure (representing Vice or Corruption) conducting tours through urban vice establishments. The figure holds a baton and stands amid storefronts advertising a "Dancing Academy," drugs, cigarettes, and a theater. Two smaller figures—appearing to be youth—follow obediently behind, labeled "US." The satire critiques how vice industries actively recruit and "conduct" young people through moral degradation, presented as if it were an organized tour. The establishments listed (dancing halls, drug dealers, theaters) represent what the cartoonist viewed as corrupting influences on American youth. The "personally conducted" title sarcastically suggests someone is deliberately guiding the next generation toward vice rather than virtue. This reflects Progressive-era anxieties about urban corruption, vice districts, and their perceived threat to youth morality.