Judge, 1919-07-12 · page 9 of 36
Judge — July 12, 1919 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains satire about post-WWI newspaper culture and includes three distinct pieces: **"Newspaper Headlines" by Harvey Peak** critiques the outsized headline trend that dominated newspapers during World War I. Peak jokes that editors have become so addicted to enormous, multi-column headlines that they won't be able to scale back to normal proportions during peacetime. He humorously imagines absurdly inflated headlines for trivial local news (twins born, a clock repaired) to illustrate how ridiculous this habit has become. The satirical point: wartime sensationalism has warped journalistic norms. **"Obscuring the Issue"** mocks religious debate, with a rural character (Gap Johnson) admitting he can't understand theological arguments because debaters curse so much. **"Its Efficacy"** is a drugstore joke where a druggist "guarantees" his hair tonic will work—by producing delirium tremens (alcohol poisoning), making the money-back guarantee darkly comic. This likely references patent medicine fraud common in the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
six-inch headlines have to be doubled in. size? Or will the entire front page of the paper be given over to the half dozen words that are neces dline the matter? xition is an interesting one and we are awaiting development Obscuring the Issue “TL don't keer much for these yur off-hand Scriptural debates,” admitted Gap Johnson, of Rumpus Ridge, Ark. “In a gener'l way, the debaters cuss so that Lean’t halt understand what they are talking about.” Its Effi “Do you guarantee this hair tonic?” “Absolutely, sir!” replied the druggist. “Six bottles of it will produce delirium tremens, or your money cheerfully refunded.’ » hy Nowwas Axsmoxy So you've “Yes, I've ee Newspaper Headlines Ry Harvey Peax FTER four and a half years of gigantic head- lines, that run from three to six inches in height and across the entire tront page: of the newspapers two or three deep, how are we going to become accustomed to the smaller kind that should prevail during peace times and fit a single or double column only? Or will a change be made? Perhaps the big headline habit has be- come so fixed that it cannot be shaken off and will prevail from now on to the end of everything. If this be so we may expect to see, during the lean period of news-mongering. something like this TWINS AT THE SMITH HOME Great DeMONSTRATION IN THEIR Honor! or: TOWN CLOCK REPAIRED! Vast Turoxcs Watci perts at Work! or perhaps: GREAT DRIVE FOR PRESBYTERIAN PARSONA PORCH! Tits District TO Go OveR THE OUR APPORTIONMENT & But what shall be done (if this is kept up) when another real war or a gigantic bit of news of some other kind comes along and A Ose Cent Transaction Gets tHe Great demands sensational treatment? Will the present Fixancier’s Goat comicbooks.com