Judge, 1918-03-16 · page 35 of 38
Judge — March 16, 1918 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1918 *Judge* magazine page combines editorial commentary with advertising for a subscription offer. **The Main Essay & Satire:** The article titled "Why Be a Sausage on a Monument, Eh?" uses "sausage" as a metaphor for ordinary people who are deluded about their own importance. The author argues we're all essentially commonplace ("sausages"), yet we puff ourselves up over minor achievements—a better car than neighbors, a child's school promotion, wartime success. The satire targets human ego and self-deception. The referenced photograph shows a giant sausage monument/statue in an urban setting, literally illustrating the absurd premise of elevating something mundane to monumental status. **The Advertisement:** Below, *Judge* pivots to selling subscriptions by positioning the magazine itself as "The Happy Medium"—a source of humor and cheer during WWI's "drabness." For one dollar, readers receive three months of smiles. **The Point:** The piece uses self-deprecating social commentary to sell subscriptions, arguing that recognizing our collective ordinariness and finding humor in it is therapeutic—especially during wartime.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Be a Sausage on a Monument, Eh? OT that you want to be. Heavens, no! Or that you are going to be. We should say not. Or that you are, physically. Howabsurdathought. And yet —Well, a lot of us poor, frail mortals pos- sess attributes of which we wot not, what? Some of us are human turnips and we think we are tuber-roses. And some of us are onions and we fancy ourselves glad- iolas. ‘The one great difficulty with most of us is that we’re not onto ourselves. Per- haps it’s just as well that we're not. Some of us are puffed up with a bit of temporary success; some of us exude a kind of greasy satisfaction over small ac- complishments; a few of us have become bloated spiritually and mentally and a few more of us are frightfully swollen in the ego because we have pulled off a good business stunt; or because we own an au- nent} tomobile much superior to our neighbor’s lass} tin Lizzie, or because our boy has been moved up one grade in the army: or because we have sugar in the pantry or coal in the cellar; or—something. shass 0 It’s a sad fact to acknowledge, but we are really all sausages of one kind and another. It is only whenwe stick ourselves up on a pedestal, however, that we become darned objectionable sausages. The great thing is that while being regular in tk} Sausages we should realize it and laugh at our | sausageness. The saving grace of humor!—How it greases the wheels of life and chases old man Gloom out the back door. Still, no matter how receptive we are to humor we must have something to laugh at. And right here is where we begin to reveal the true purpose of this sausage sermonette. Yes, we want to sell you something—something good—Jupce. It’s nickname, “The Happy Medium,” is no misnomer. It is cheering the Nation to- day and perhaps you will agree that we need cheering. A smiling visitor to the home fifty-two times ayear. A ray of sunshine piercing the drabness of war-time worries. Maybe you don’t know as intimately as you might. That’s too bad, if it’s so. But there’s an easy remedy for it; you can Laugh Your Head Off for a Dollar! That doesn’t mean losing your head, or your sense of economy, either. There's a big bunch of smiles in every number for you. You simply mail the coupon in the corner of this page together with a cute little dollar bill and we do the rest—all of it. ary of Ere] ESEEEEEEEL ELT J bones js EI fore ever (oresigh into the Ssssegzaggigam EE EEEELE] " a good Billy, ' sermans 1e Coat's iat han %e cop. countr: oot, ax Q ees were From the February 2¢ issue of Judge night ong at They ly a fs nn gla! JUDGE BS Filth Ave New York City I accept your offer—three months for $) It is under- ou send me ning with the 12 numbers current inall. Tenclose $1 (OR) send mea bill at a later date. (Canadian $1.25—Foreign $1.50.) siseeesees Sausage or no sausage you will enjoy the treat in store for you Street ooo eeececseauvececctesccteecesecsvees prepared by JUDGE for all the wide-awake ones during 1918. «Here, waiter! Bring me my check.” «Yes, sir, this is it—Thank you, sir.” comicbooks.com