Judge — July 6, 1918 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SE Comment Grave and Gay on Things as They Pass jR DIT ORTAL i > Ovursetves—Anpb You ODAY Judge is thirty-seven-and-a-half years young. With this present issue “the happy medium” achieves its seventy-fifth volume. Much water has swirled under bridges, much laughter has beat upon the air since the launching of this publication in 1881. From the caves of the past the echo of many a gifted, golden voice floats forth; voices blithe with youth and jubilant; voices singing hilarious lays, chanting delectable quips, intoning brilliant bon mots. And now not a few of these voices are forever stilled. The cleverest of our American fun-makers have had their say between these covers, have rollicked a little while and passed on. Artists whose fame has become a thing of national pride have “found them- selves” here and cavorted in high pictorial abandon. Many of these are yet with us—the elder brothers who refuse to grow up, who cannot be persuaded to sit com- fortably in a corner and drowse, but who must needs be up and busy with their brushes and their quills. These cannot be soured by time nor daunted by the blood- letting of incredible warfare. A few more silver strands those finger prints denoting the ready laugh—but from their hands still pour the riches of their humor, from their brains still flashes the magic of ide: Of the present generation of Jesters Judge boasts the best. The young men who, for sound reasons, are not yet in trench, or camp, or aboard ship, are giving from their store of fancy for the cheering of a nation. Itis the part of those who may not serve with gun or bayonet or depth- bomb to hearten the stay-at-homes and send their messages of merri- ment flashing through their drawings or verse or prose. To brighten the lives of half a million readers every week is the task imposed upon Judge and to do the job without vulgarity, without ran- cor, without clowning, requires all there is of editorial acumen and vision. To laugh in the face of Fate is an Ameri- can characteristic; to Drawn by Saxrorn Tousry Shade of Napoleon—It can't be done, Wilhelm! =e Liwe=. “4 iY > 3 aa =A smile when hurt, to spin a yarn while the life-boat is being bailed, to fling a jibe at the blood-lusting Hun as he charges through the mud with murder in his eye— that is our native way. And Judge accurately reflects the spirit of America while offering the humor of the whole round globe in its pages. Judge, too, is doing this at a time when humor more than ever before must play the foil to gravities enforced by the red conflict of nations. As to the war itself Judge offers in words and pictures a sure relief from the strain of apprehension, offers a gentle balm and the banishment of the blues. So here’s a toast to the wits of other days, and a bumper to the wags of now. May we never lapse from laughter nor fail to fetch the ready grin when things go all awry or the clouds hang low and threatening! JupGE—MENTS GIRL may respect a man who goes in for bridge work, but before she loves him she wants to know whether he means teeth or trenches. * ° * Kaiser Wilhelm, of the firm of Me und Gott, “‘rever- ently admires God’s hand in history,”’ and proceeds to put his foot in it. The National party, just born, is so named because it will be a party if it lives to grow up and national when it gets some votes. . . . Life’s little tragedies: The new voter is told that she is the balance of power, and then she gets notice from the bank that her balance is over- drawn. * . . The Green Moun- tain State promises a bumper crop of maple sugar, but when it isn’t flapjackless day, i country sausagel —andevery day appetiteless day—so what's the use? * . Our zeal for the cause needn’t be so un- remitting that the war committees will have to wear out their type- writers with “please remits.” comicbooks.com