Judge, 1918-08-10 · page 31 of 32
Judge — August 10, 1918 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a congratulatory letter to *Judge* magazine from Douglas Malloch, president of the American Press Humorists, dated July 20, 1918 (published August 10). The letter praises *Judge* for boosting soldier and sailor morale during World War I. The key context: America had entered WWI in 1917, and by summer 1918, troops were in active combat. Malloch argues that humor is vital to the war effort—soldiers reportedly carried *Judge* magazines to the front lines ("go over the top with a smile"), and maintaining troop morale through comedy was considered patriotic work. He formally inducts soldier and sailor contributors as honorary members of the American Press Humorists society, recognizing their humor as an "official organ" of the organization. This reflects period attitudes treating satire and humor as legitimate wartime propaganda tools—emotional support mechanisms alongside military hardware. The letter isn't satirical itself but rather praise of *Judge*'s role in the war effort.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
August 10, 1918 AMERICAN PRESS HUMORISTS Chicago, I1l., July 20, 1918. Douglas Malloch. Judge, New York. Good Morning, Judge: You will be interested to know, I am sure, that, in my visits to the army and navy camps, I have found it hard to get hold of a copy of Judge-- some soldier or sailor always had it! It is said we shall win this war because our boys go over the top with a smile. For supplying the smile, I thank you. And you are performing a patriotic service in publishing the humor of the deck and dugout as seen by the soldiers and sailors themselves. The sense of humor is second in importance only to the sense of right. You are proving that our boys have both. Permit me to salute your soldier and sailor contributors as non-resident members of the American Press Humorists, and Judge, the nation's perpetual smileage book, as their official organ. Sincerely yours, JZ. Darteck President. comicbooks.com