Judge, 1921-02-26 · page 9 of 32
Judge — February 26, 1921 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from Judge magazine addresses the **housing crisis** through satirical scripture and humor pieces, likely from the 1920s post-WWI housing shortage era. **Main Article**: "Suitable Scripture for the Housing Situation" by Harold Seton juxtaposes Biblical passages about building with references to Pharaoh withholding straw from brick-makers. The satire compares the housing shortage to ancient oppression—authorities preventing construction by denying resources, suggesting landlords or government are deliberately restricting housing supply. **The Cartoon** (left) depicts a man standing in a barren room with minimal furnishings, captioned "Now please don't forget to replace the turf"—mocking the absurdity of housing so scarce that even temporary shelter requires replacing the ground afterward. **Shorter pieces** like "Modesty" mock social pretense (laundry on clotheslines), while "No Casus Belli" jokes about wives meeting husbands' exes, and "Fishy" is mere wordplay. The page's overall point: the housing shortage is so severe it borders on criminal negligence, treating a basic human need as a scarcity weapon.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Suitable Scripture for the Housing Situation By Harowo Seton ND they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thor- oughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.—Genesis Set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster—Deuteronomy 27 Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?—IL Samuel 7 : 5. Where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? Isaiah 66 21. Build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations .. . and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, the restorer of the paths to dwell in Isaiah 58 2 12. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye Modesty shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as here- tofore.—Exodus 5 : 6-7. Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and O# you that this city be not builded, until another commandment Gayly dancing shall be given from me.—Ezra 4:21 Madly prancing B. V. D.’s upon the line. Lean and scrawny t and poddy, Gee! Can they be mine? By Jeaxxerre S. Crowent Mirth provoking Plainly joking, Writhing, twisting Toss and sway Wild cavorting Shameless! Shocking! They're not mine, L'll say! Madly waving Shaking, raving, Flapping arms And legs about Say—a chap feels Something awful To see his laundry hanging out! Young Matron—I'm terribly jealous of my husband’s first love. Old Matron—It’s an experience we all have, my dear; you'll get over it after meeting her, Physicians, Please Note [tis never too well to do the well-to-do until the well-to-do are too ill to do well. Fishy There was a young fisher named Fischer, Who fished from the edge of a fissure, When a fish, with a grin, Drown ty Ropar Leuen Pulled the fisherman in; “Now PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO REPLACE THE TURF.” Now they’re fishing the fissure for Fischer.