Judge — September 12, 1908 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a moralizing children's comic strip warning against smoking. The narrative follows "Little Johnny" attempting to smoke cigarettes with teddy bears, experiencing increasingly dire consequences. The strip's message is explicit in its subtitle: "Little folks who try to smoke soon find it isn't all a joke." Panel 1 shows children smoking indoors; subsequent panels escalate to a fire alarm, firefighters responding with hoses, and the house catching fire. The final panels show the children in bed, apparently ill or traumatized. This reflects early-1900s public health attitudes targeting youth smoking—a common concern of the Progressive Era. The "Teddy Bears" reference likely trades on the popularity of teddy bear toys (named after President Theodore Roosevelt), making the characters relatable to contemporary children. The strip functioned as didactic entertainment, using humor and escalating chaos to discourage dangerous behavior in young readers.