Judge, 1918-04-06 · page 12 of 36
Judge — April 6, 1918 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This story satirizes the corrupting effect of political office on an ordinary person. Enos Boggs, a humble small-town postmaster and store clerk, is honest about his ignorance and limitations. After a mysterious phone call, he transforms overnight into an insufferable know-it-all who presumes to advise trained West Point military officers and naval experts on strategy, defense, and national policy—despite having no expertise whatsoever. The punchline reveals the source of his sudden arrogance: **election to Congress**. The satire's point is clear—becoming a congressman inflates mediocre men with unwarranted confidence in their ability to govern complex matters. The accompanying military illustration (labeled "Kamerad!") appears to show soldiers, likely depicting the military context Boggs now presumes to advise on. This is a biting critique of congressional incompetence and the Dunning-Kruger effect of political power.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NOS BOGGS was a cross-roads postmaster and E general store keeper of mediocre mentality and scant education. Offsetting these deficiencies he was a likable, cheerful chap, a great handshaker and a super-skilful salve spreader. Until a certain date in his life Enos frankly ad- mitted being somewhat of a failure as a merchant, but said that he probably would have done no better at another line of work. Free from conceit, at that time, Enos acknowledged that he did not know much about anything and never would be wiser. However, upon a memorable Wednesday morning, after a long-distance telephone conversation with a friend at the county seat, Enos hung up the receiver a changed man. Henceforth he was willing to stand in the most conspicuous place his nation afforded and pro- claim in clarion tones that he knew more about every- thing than anybody on earth. Almost immediately Enos began advising the brilliant, gray-haired West Point trained chief of staff how to handle an army. It was the same with the Zz Sf ao ee nt Ce ae - SZ SS a_—aeeee zZ. y Drawn by J. S. Coxacuer The Transformation By Terrett Love Houpay Kamerap! navy. The naval board, brainy Annapolis men, seasoned by long experience in solving technical and strategical problems, received a veritable castigation from Enos. Plans for defending the country, which the grizzled experts had spent years perfecting, the country-store keeper shot full of holes in five minutes. And in two minutes more he had shown them how to plug the holes! With equal boldness and dispatch Enos untangled financial, tariff and other knotty questions, with which America’s biggest, most highly trained men had long struggled in vain. Coming from a community populated by simple, reverent folk, Enos considered it impolitic to say, in so many words, “The All Wise Mind has nothing on Enos Boggs.” Nevertheless it was an open secret what Mr. Boggs thought. Once a stupid, harmless backwoodsman, what changed Enos Boggs, over night, to a_ noisy, dangerous bundle of conceit? He was elected to a seat in Congress! comicbooks.com a