Life, 1883-01-11 · page 11 of 18
Life — January 11, 1883 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine: "The Sunday Penal Code" Commentary This page satirizes opposition to Sunday closing laws (which required businesses to shut on Sundays). Three speakers with exaggerated ethnic dialects represent different New York constituencies resisting the law: 1. **Patrick Duffer** (Irish alderman): Uses heavy brogue to argue that closing bars violates "Magna Charta" and Democratic principles. His self-interest is transparent—he profits from the liquor business. 2. **Au Sam** (Chinese laundry owner): Speaks pidgin English, explaining he simply moves operations inside to evade the law, making enforcement pointless. 3. **The German speaker** (likely a tailor or clothier): Describes using legal injunctions against police to keep his shop open, showing how wealthy merchants exploit the justice system. The satire targets both ethnic stereotypes and hypocrisy: the law is unenforceable because business owners find loopholes, while politicians who profit from vice cynically defend it through pseudo-constitutional rhetoric.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
4 7 ; ] THE SUNDAY PENAL CODE. A SYMPOSIUM. [The writers of the following essays will be recognized as eminent experts. Their treatment of the subject is calculated to add to their reputation.—Eb,] I WOULDN'T be writing about the thing but, I'd loike to say a wurrud on me own account. Oi’m an Irishman, sorr, and a public character, sorr, and if the two togither, lave alone the one or the other, isn’t to be rispicted in New York, phwat the divil is to becoine of the counthry ? Now, sorr, I rose in me place in the Board of Aldermen, andI read out me spache (made up for me by as dacint a young gintleman as ye iver see, who, I’m tould, comes from Thrinity College, Dublin). There was two points in me spache, sorr, that covers the enthire mat- ther of the thaving, ondacint business of closing up the places where a man could get a sup and ashmoke of aSunday. There was Magna Charta, sorr. I'm tould that this was a sort of a risolution passed in the toime of the Irish Kings (me ancesthors, sorr), and saying that the poor man should have his whiskey of a Sunday, especially if he was the consti- thuent of an Irish Alderman, and the same was himself in the liquor business, Then, sorr, ye’ll not forget me deloight that the next Ligislature was fortunately Dim- ocratic; for, begorra,whin an Irishman wants anything, it’s a Dimocratic Ligislature that’s the boys to give him it. Shure, sorr, betwanethim and the Aldermen, we'll have a new Magna Charta; and as for the codes, or whativer ye call ’em, that would kape a man from doing what he loiked of a Sunday, why we'll thrate ‘em as me frind Mr. Rossa will thrate the British toirant— doinamite'em, sorr, doinamite em. Patrick DurrFer. Alderman of the Irish Republic (New York.) Il. [We translate some obscure Mongolian expressions.—Ep.] ‘That Zifee newspaper man you chin chin mi (ask me to) wi'litee some ting long (about) that Sunday shuttee shop pidgin (closing business), - LIFE: 21 Melican man talkee one day wantchee chin chin (Joss worship) talkee mussee (must) shuttee shop. Mi talkee “alla litee" (all right) mi shuttee shop, inside makee washee washee alla same before. Mi thinkee Melican man no talkee t'lue (truly). He alla same foolo. What for so fashion ? llishman makee sel- luny samshoo (liquor seller), That Ilish- man no chin chin Joss. That shop had got outside door shut- tee alla p’loppa ; ‘no- der side hab got smallo door open. He go inside catchee (get) plenty samshoo, come mi shop, lickee mi alla same before. So fashion how can do? Mi blong you numbah one good flea’, alla same you young b'lother. Au Sam, China Wash- Man, No. — Mutt Street. ILI. Vell, mein vriend, I haf leetel got to say. Mein bardner he dell me I better don't write one vord, but I say yah, I vill yust a leetel spheak about dat law vich dey call de Gode, vich say dat we must on the virst day of de veek no pusiness do—not one goat or bair of drowsers sell. Vell, I dell you vot it ish—I ogsplain to de public, Ven I haf dat law understhand und de bolice dell me I can nicht dot schop on de Sun- day open, I feel very pad, I say 1 blenty pusiness lose, und on Monday I go to de yudge und get an in- yunction und serve him on dat boss of de bolice. Und he say “Das ish allrecht und I am glad you get him,” und de next Sunday de bolice do not near mein shop gome und I do goot pusiness, Dot oder American und Eng- lish glothing man he say to me “How ihs dish?” und I say dot I do not meinself de Gode make, but I got no fault to vind mit him. Dot yudge got a lefel head on him, und he say dot I geep de Saturday, und I must not two days inde veek lose. Das is all recht. I say to meinself dot I alvays one maxim brac- tice, und dot is to do in Rome as de Romans do, I comicbooks.com