Judge, 1914-05-09 · page 7 of 25
Judge — May 9, 1914 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon: "The Greatest Magnet in the World"** The illustration depicts a baseball stadium acting as a massive magnet, pulling crowds of people upward from below. The satire targets the enormous drawing power of professional baseball, suggesting it exerts an almost irresistible force on the American public. The "magnet" metaphor emphasizes how the sport attracts masses of people, likely commenting on baseball's explosive popularity in early 20th-century America. **Text Content:** Two accompanying pieces provide social commentary: 1. "The Dangers of Cleverness" quotes a character (Hon. Tom Noddy) advising young men to hide their intelligence to maintain social equality and avoid unwanted solicitations—satirizing how intellectualism creates distance between people. 2. "Away to the Country" ironically celebrates rural life while cataloging its harsh realities: expensive eggs, rancid butter, shipped-away produce, and farmers anxiously watching weather. The punchline—rushing back to the city on the express train—mocks the romantic idealization of country living.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE GREATEST MAGNET IN THE WORLD The Dangers of Cleverness «s]T IS dangerous to be clever,”’ de- clared the Hon, Tom Noddy, with more than his customary emphasis, ‘and that is why I never allow peo- ple to find out how clever I am. “For my own satisfaction, of ccurse,’’ he con- tinued, ‘‘I have diligently acquired a great deal of knowl- dge of a vast variety uf subjects, and, pon the basis of this knowledge, together vith my wide experience as a man of the vid, [have analyzed, theorized, synthe- and drawn many important and far- sching conclusions. My philosophy is idamental, my ethics are thoroughly etherealized, my esthetic sense is nicely adjusted, and all that. But, you see, it would never do for me to let these facts be known beyond my own little circle of intimates. If I did, I would have no peace whatever, either of mind or of body. It is not alone that I would be deluged with flattery and other encomi- astic manifestations, but I would be bothered to death by people who wanted to know things, who had problems to be solved. “Thus I would never be able to meet people on a plane of equality. People would fear me or be too reverent toward me. They would never let me forget my superiority. My advice to young men, therefore, is to be as clever as possible, but to hide their lights under a bushel.’’ —Ellis 0. Jones. Away to the Country HURRAH for the country where breezes are sweet, And the newly laid eggs are too costly to eat; The beautiful country where rivulets flow, And they sell all their butter and eat oleo; The calm, peaceful country where berries turn brown, And every last berry is shipped to the town; Where Nature has painted a canvas full rare, And folks are too busy to look or to care; And the farmer who gazes at eve o’er the plain Merely speculates whether those clouds will bring rain! Let us hie to the country, away from the stress— And hurry back home on the eight-ten express! —Walter G. Doty. comicbooks.com