Puck — November 13, 1878 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Puck cartoon satirizes moral hypocrisy regarding gambling and vice in 1890s America. The main scene contrasts religious spaces with secular ones: **Upper panel**: Inside a church, a minister preaches while congregants appear virtuous. **Lower panel**: Outside the same church, the same people engage in gambling ("Dice Raffling," "Try Your Chances"), visiting fortune tellers ("Temptation of Eve"), and other vices. Labels mock the contradiction: "Bling is Gambling Done in Church" versus gambling outside is sin. **Right side**: Church authorities "encouraging the young men to be liberal"—implying they hypocritically accept vice's financial benefits while condemning it publicly. The satire critiques institutional complicity: churches profit from parishioners' vices while maintaining moral authority. The overall message attacks Victorian-era religious institutions for selective morality.