Judge, 1918-12-21 · page 9 of 32
Judge — December 21, 1918 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Self-Made" — A Satirical Takedown of Self-Made Mythology This two-part satirical piece mocks the American "self-made man" concept. The main article by Too Chenevix presents a boastful man claiming complete independence—he fed and clothed himself as an infant, educated himself, and built his business alone—while conveniently omitting that his parents fed, housed, and raised him. The satire is razor-sharp: the man contradicts himself by describing parental support he claims to have rejected. The accompanying cartoon "Over Here" (by A.B. Walker) reinforces the joke: a manager dismisses helpful suggestions by tossing them in the waste basket. This suggests that self-made "success" often involves ignoring outside input, further mocking the hubris of those claiming sole credit for their achievements. Judge's target: wealthy businessmen who celebrated their independence while benefiting from inherited advantages, family connections, and luck—yet credited only themselves.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Drawn by Joun Coxacurn OMETHING THat ONLY THE Cat Saw: Granpma’s Seconp SELF Si T 0: Car S. G ’s S S: Self-Made By Topo Cuenevix UST what does the boob mean when he claims to be self-made? Let’s ask him. “Why, on the day of my birth I got up at sun- rise, went out and bought my breakfast, brought it in and cooked it, etc. “T earned and éollected my first clothes—dresses, petticoats, hats, and shoes, while my fond but careless parents were attending to their own small affairs, quite indifferent to my im- portant ones. “IT put myself into , school and learned to read | and write and count with my own big head. “When I could manage to make my family let me alone I began to transact business at a profit, first as office boy, later as chief. “With a growing bank account I still remained good company for my par- Drawn by A.B. Watxen “Over Here” ents at home, refusing to forget their affectionate claim on me, though I was independent. “Success crowned my business, so that I was able to secure title to the home property by taking up the mortgage. “T never married, as the right partner was not found, and many a successful career has been blasted by family cares. “Tn every respect I am a self-made man, and I ask no favors of anybody.” So. Well, we might have known how it was. And now everybody who likes the idea will go in for it. Success is a great thing. Where They Go “Good morning, Mr. Mana- ger. Isent you some suggestions yesterday, telling you how you could improve your current show. Have you carried them out?” “I gave them to my office boy and he put them in the waste basket and carried’ them out at once.” comicbooks.com