Judge, 1915-12-25 · page 19 of 29
Judge — December 25, 1915 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects humorous cartoons from European and British publications during World War I, arranged thematically around war-related social absurdities. **Key themes:** - **Language learning paradox**: A French cartoon mocks how mothers must now teach children multiple enemy/allied languages instead of German alone—satirizing the war's disruption of education. - **Military recruitment**: A British cartoon jokes about a recruit's grandfather being politically neutral, playing on recruitment desperation and the absurdity of testing eligibility. - **"Too Proud to Fight"**: References American isolationism (possibly Woodrow Wilson's famous phrase before U.S. entry). - **Patriotic consumption**: A German cartoon critiques wearing a Paris hat as unpatriotic during wartime—satirizing how war affects even fashion choices. - **Soldier training comedy**: A sergeant complains a trained soldier knows nothing, mocking military discipline. The page demonstrates how different nations' satirical magazines found dark humor in shared wartime experiences: social dislocation, conscription, and forced allegiances.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Tall Lover “Dein Briutigam kusst Dich ja nur immer auf die it dem seiner Liebe scheint’s nicht weit her zu “Odoch! Der ist nur zu faul, sich zu bicken!” “Your lover always kisses you on the fore- head; that doesn’t look as though he’s got very far with his love.” “Oh, yes, he has. He’s just too lazy to bend over.” —Fliegende Blaetter (Munich). AYOUR COAT i S00, “You're a bloomin’ fine soldier! ’Ere’s me taught yer everythink I know, an’ you stand there an’ don’t know nothink!”— Punch (London). The Little Victims of the War “Alors, maman, je ne devrai plus apprendre 'alle- mand? on, mon chéri, mais, comme compensation, tu prendras le russe, le serbe, le monténégrin. l'anglais, Vitahen, le fiamand, le wallon, Ihindoustani et le cinghalais.”* “Well, mamma, mustn’t I study German any more?” “No, my dear, but to make up for it you shall study Russian, Serbian, Montenegrin, English, Italian, Flemish, Walloon, Hin- dustani, and Sengalese.”—Le Rire. Extenuating “Der Hut ist bestimmt ein Pariser Modell.”” ‘-Pfui—wie unpatriotisch. Und auszerdem ist er nicht zu kopieren!” “That hat is surely a Paris model.” : “Oh, how unpatriotic. And_ besides, it simply couldn’t be copied.”—Meggendorfer Blaetter (Munich). Too Proud to Fight The recruiting official—One gran’father living? Is he on your father’s or mother’s side ? The recruit—Oh, ’e varies, sir; ’e sticks up for both on ’em—a sort 0’ nootral. —Sketch (London). The Passionate Pilgrim He—Didn’t I write to you every day, and now when I come back I find that you’ve been flirting all over the place. The young and talkative one—What made that ’ole? She—Dearest, they were such passionate The fed-up one—Mice.—Bystander (Lon- _ letters I couldn’t help it! don). —Bulletin (Sydney). comicbooks.com