Judge — January 12, 1918 — page 20: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This WWI-era cartoon satirizes the dangers of poison gas warfare. Two soldiers—one appearing to be French (indicated by "ze French tabac" dialect) and one Allied soldier wearing a military helmet—are depicted on a tree-lined road. The joke hinges on a dark pun: the Allied soldier refuses French tobacco, demanding a gas mask for protection. This refers to both chemical weapons used in trench warfare and the poor quality of French cigarettes. The cartoon mocks the horrific conditions soldiers faced, where even accepting a simple cigarette required protection against gas attacks. The title "One Trial Had Convinced Him" suggests the soldier learned this dangerous lesson firsthand. It's gallows humor typical of WWI-era satirical magazines addressing the brutal realities of mechanized warfare.