Life — January 20, 1921 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Enter the Papa of the Blue Laws" This cartoon satirizes religious or moral censorship—"Blue Laws" being restrictive legislation based on religious doctrine. The illustration shows two figures in a grotesque style: one wearing a top hat (representing authority/establishment) greeting another figure below, with the caption "Welcome below! You have aided me more than you know." The imagery suggests hypocrisy: those enforcing strict moral laws are depicted as demonic or infernal, implying they're not genuinely righteous but rather opportunistic. The satire critiques how censorship advocates and religious moralists profit from or enable moral restriction, presenting them as self-serving rather than principled. The "Blue Laws" reference indicates this targets actual restrictive legislation of the era regulating behavior based on religious grounds.