Judge, 1926-11-20 · page 8 of 36
Judge — November 20, 1926 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Anti-Drinking Song Commentary This satirical song by Alfred J. Funk mocks the social pressure to drink during Prohibition (implied by references to "Prohibition" in verse 7). The cartoon presents drinking as a mandatory social obligation that has escalated absurdly. The satire targets: 1. **Pre-Prohibition hypocrisy**: Verse 1 notes that drinking was once considered degrading; now it's fashionable. 2. **Escalating excess**: Men progressed from one cocktail to "nineteen or twenty," showing how social drinking became normalized excess. 3. **Social coercion**: Verses 3-4 show drinking is mandatory at parties and social events—a "social exaction" that "got to be done," regardless of personal preference. 4. **False sophistication**: Verse 5 suggests one cannot host dinner or participate socially without alcohol. The final verse shows someone escaping to remote locations to avoid the drinking culture. The cartoons depict drunken revelers and social gatherings centered entirely on alcohol consumption, mocking how drinking became a seemingly inescapable social requirement rather than a choice.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE 1 In the days that are dear and de- parted, When liquor was drunk without sin, A man was degraded who boldly paraded His liking for whisky and gin. 5. You can’t give a dinner without it; The repartee’s deadly and slow. You're simply bucolic unless alco- holic Libations are part of the show. A cocktail for him was sufficient, A finger or two quite all right, But now he wants plenty, say nine- teen or twenty, And isn’t content ’till he’s tight. he drunkardi wife Reepealight in the 6. I’m going somewhere that a fellow Can say “no” without being rude, And stick on the wagon, and not be a drag on The others who want to get stewed! Nineteen or twenty cocktails, or what had you? 3. At parties, receptions and dances There isn’t a throat that is dry. Each flapper and flipper is out with a dipper To drain the existing supply. Somewhere a long (J way from an \ orange, And cocktails, and shakers, an d such. I’m not in condition to stand Prohi- For drinking’s a social exaction, Regard it as work or as fun ; pete ae It may be distasteful, or wickedly ont ee wasteful drink very much. But, goodness! It’s got to be done. comicbooks.com