Judge, 1918-12-07 · page 29 of 32
Judge — December 7, 1918 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The central cartoon by Norman Anthony satirizes American military involvement in the Russian Civil War. In December 1918, U.S. troops were deployed to Siberia ostensibly to support anti-Bolshevik forces. The cartoon depicts a soldier relaxing at his desk labeled "Ordnance Dept," imagining absurd equipment needs for this frozen, chaotic deployment. The humor is biting: Lawrence Kane's accompanying list mocks the impossible conditions soldiers faced—wolves, extreme cold, hostile "Bolsheviki," worthless local currency, language barriers, and snow so severe it blinds. Items like "droschky-whistle" (a Russian carriage) and the final sign ("Unless you want to be shot, don't spring the old wheeze about being exiled to Siberia") satirize both the nightmare logistics and gallows humor troops used to cope. The joke: America sent soldiers to fight Bolshevism in one of Earth's most inhospitable places with inadequate support. Judge magazine, conservative and anti-communist, still mocked this military folly as impractical and darkly comic.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
wel Fae Five ich Cuba ‘We will send you all newspaper appear about you, your fnends of any aut ROMEIKE’S PRESS CLIPPING BUREAU to be “up-to~ mportance in the nited 43 00 +50 res fact be promptly repor fats per copy; 1917 ert on * ies unless they are accompanied by full postage for Advertising Department Offices Rrunswick Building New York Walker Building Boston Marquette Building Chicago Heary Building - - ~ Seattle Judge is printed by the Schweinler Prews Alas! By Warter G. Doty When he was young he always swore He'd surely make his pile, But that bright dream he loved of yore Now merely makes him smile. His present dream all worn and frayed, Is just to get that mortgage paid CLEARS (aticura Saves {J ayo OINTMENT \ THESKN PIMPLES .DAMORUFF Tht HAIR URI Ht Booey onrae Draws by Nowman Axtuosy Tuts Litttr Pic Staveo at Hoste | Suggestions for Additional | Equipment to Be Furnished by the Quartermaster to Members of the A. E. F., Siberia By Lawrence Kant 1. Twenty-five-pound bag of — wolf- biscuit te be sprinkled behind marching troops in order to delay attacking wolf- packs. 2. Ermine chemise for use when the bottom of the thermometer-tube freezes off. | 3. Small razor-edged hatchet for cut- | ting frozen whiskers from captured Bol- | sheviki. 4. Hand-satchel to carry the sixty-two | pounds of kopecks and rubles which will be received whenever a five-dollar bill is broken. 5. Wrist-hammer to be attached to wrist-watch and used during cold weather to tap ears and nose in order to discover whether they are frozen. 6. Special Siberian _mess-equipment, | consisting of caviare-fork, samovar-holder | and sourbread-knife. 7. Droschky-whistle for calling drosch- kies when the lips are too cold to permit whistling. 8. Large piece of soft rubber to carry in mouth when speaking Russian in order to get the proper accent. g. Collapsible pocket snow-shovel to shovel the snow out of the eyes and ears during heavy snow-storms. 10. Folding combination chest pro- | tector and sign, to be hung around neck and released by a pull-string. When string is pulled, sign unfolds and displays words: “Unless you want to be shot, don’t spring the old wheeze about being | exiled to Siberia.” | RS SAS Fes) S¥S eh, For A Merry ¥mas and A Happy Mew Wear ’ Santa Claus Visiting Card HE above is a small repro- duction of the Christmas |card in colors which we will send to anyone you may desire to re- member with a Xmas Gift sub- scription to Lesiie’s. Here is a charming method of wishing your friends the compliments of the season. A subscription to LESLIE’s is a reminder fifty-two jtimes a year of your loving |thought for the friend who re- ceives it. A five-dollar bill could | not be better spent. Leslie’s 225 Fifth Ave., New York City —COUPON— LIE’S, 225 Fifth Ave., New York City | Please send, as a Xmas Gift, Leslie’s for one year to names attached and send Xmas Cards to each. I enclose $5.00 cach in | payment. (Name) (Street and Address) comicbooks.com