Judge, 1918-08-10 · page 9 of 32
Judge — August 10, 1918 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page **"The Dark That Failed"** is a humorous short story about a young couple on a commuter train hoping to steal a kiss in tunnel darkness. The narrator, an experienced commuter, anticipates their plan and watches as they prepare for the larger tunnel under the river. However, when the train enters the tunnel, it's immediately lit by electric lights, thwarting their romantic moment—hence "the dark that failed." **"Out of the Mouths of Babes"** is a joke about a child catching their mother in hypocritical behavior regarding etiquette. **"Big Men"** is an allegorical fable satirizing a society's approach to dealing with an overabundance of large/tall men. Rather than competing fairly, the people vote them pensions and remove obstacles—essentially enabling idleness. This leads to their eventual disappearance. The satire likely critiques how societies coddle or subsidize certain groups, resulting in their decline rather than improvement. The page also includes a WWI-era cartoon showing American and German soldiers at lunch, and a joke about women in wartime employment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Dark That Failed By Raysoxp Browne HE train plunged into blackest night. In five | roaring seconds we were out of the tunnel again and the sunset light was showing plainly the disappointment of the pair seated up ahead. Their loving glance was full of meaning. They would be ready next time. As a hardened and cunning commuter, I was, of course, aware that we should shortly enter the larger tunnel which dives under the great river. I there- fore attentively awaited developments. As we passed in back of the sordid and grimy city limit line, the trainmen switched on the lights as usual. I noticed dully that in the ruddy sunset glow they were but pale and dim. The turtle doves divided their attention between each other and the view. Holding hands with des- perate persistence, they kept an eye out for another tunnel. As we swung soothingly down the incline to the tube, they spied the smoky mouth that swallows the shining steels. They seemed to brace them- selves to take instant advantage of even a moment’s darkness. Then He slid his arm awkwardly along the back of the seat and watched the train sink deeper into the walled pit, until the overhead span closed in, snapping out the sky The change from burning daylight to yellow elec- tricity was not more sudden than the swift embrace of the enamoured two. Would that my tale could end as suddenly to draw the curtain of charity over the scene of their awakening. Out of the Mouth of Babes Mother—Want to go with me to pick out my new false teeth, baby Four-year-old—Mother, you said you shouldn't pick your tecth in company. Draton by Zim _ Bill U.S. A.—Put up your tools, Fritzy! It’s lunch time and you're invited to dine with us. by A. Macuerest on to wounds! He" ke—Many women, I see, have answered army advertisements ask y can't say now that woman may never be ‘a patch on man.” for human s| in to graft Big Men A CERTAIN people were much annoyed by the growing prevalence of big men among them. It had already come to the pass that big men were to be en- countered at every turn and the masses were getting about enough of it. But they were a crafty people. “Let us,” they pro- posed, “make it easy for these fellows, placing no ob- stacle in their way and vot- ing them pensions so they won’t have tohustle for any- thing.” It was so ordered, with the result that the next census showed a marked falling off inthe number of big menand the next census after that the virtual extinction of the species. comicbooks.com eeeeeEEEeEeEeeeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeee