Judge, 1921-06-25 · page 8 of 37
Judge — June 25, 1921 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# The Anti-Hellenic League This satirical piece mocks prohibition-era cultural censorship through absurdist humor. The "Anti-Hellenic League" (or "Aunty-Hellers") is a fictional organization demanding Greek literature be banned from America, claiming Greek art is "demoralizing." The main article parodies arguments used by actual Prohibition and censorship advocates: that certain cultural influences corrupt public morality, that citizens can't self-regulate consumption, and that government intervention is justified. It depicts a war-fueled opportunity for the censors to pass the "Anti-Greek Law" in 1946-1047. The bottom cartoon shows a husband telling his wife a dream about a "feminine postage-stamp chasing him down the street"—his Freudian-obsessed wife immediately interprets this as symbolic of feminine pursuit. The caption sardonically notes she "knows the REAL MEANING OF DREAMS" before declaring "Beast!" The joke mocks Freudian psychology's then-fashionable cultural influence, suggesting its interpretive reach is absurd. Together, the page satirizes both censorship impulses and trendy intellectual movements (Freudianism) that Judge's readers viewed skeptically.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
By Invin C. Hesne a long time there had been a desire for a much-needed reform i the field of letters. Gradually there had been growing up a feeling of repug nance to the widespread influence of Greek on our national literature. Now, Greek art is demoralizing as anyone who has ever seen Greek dancers must admit. So the answer to the demand for reform was the Anti-Hellenic League, or the Aunty Hellers, as they came to be called Che Aunty-Hellers began their attack on the Demon Greck by sending famous OR orators throughout the country to arouse the people to the danger which beset them. Among the greatest of these speakers was W.) Hemings Ryan. who, taking for his slogan “To Hell with Hellenism,” never to relax his efforts until every vestige of Greek had been eradicated from our literature These first attempts aroused ment in some quarters and apprehension in others. The scoffers professed to believe that the American people would not all anyone to deprive them of any of their pleasures. The others protested that such prohibition was in direct contradiction to the American ideal of personal liberty “Why,” said they, “should we be deprived swore amuse Drown by Curve Wenn JouN WAS jUST TOLD THE wire The Anti-Hellenic League | Sue 1s A FREUDIAN ENTHUSIAST AND KNOWS THE REAL MBANING OF DREAMS. Saphead—1 CAN'T sees TO KEEP aty axp ON WHAT [ast borne Doctor—Wiat bo YOU USUALLY po? Saphead—N. NC ck? Of course we know there are many who do not know when to stop and who continue to read and read until their brains are whirling in a maze of Hellenic fantasy, and that others, disre: garding family, friends, and fortune, spend all their time and money in public libraries, while their children run about the streets in torn clothes. But the majority of us can control ourselves and can take it or leave it alone, so why should we be de prived of our few pages of Greek a day?” Untroubled by the protests, the Anti of our G A DREAM HE HAD LAST NIGHT ABOUT A FEMININE POSTAGE-STAMP CHASING Ht DOWN THE STREE Sue 18 GOING RIGHT OUT OF MIS LIFE FOREVER. work n Hellenes calmly continued their But, despite the almost superhum. efforts of Mr. Ryan and his colleagues, the movement would have failed, had it not been for the timely advent ef the War of 1045. The majority of the Hellenists were in the service of their country. So profit ing by this opportunity, the Anti-Hellenes railroaded through the Anti-Greek Law in August 1046, to take effect June 1, 1047. By the time the Act was to go into effect the war was over, and the warriors had all returned. A cry of “Foul play” from those who saw that they had been victimized while defending their country but it availed them nought, since the Act was already Law. As the time approached when all Greek to be abolished, feelings between the Aunty-Hellers and the Hellers ran high The law stated that all books containing a 3 per cent. Greck content should be abolished. The Hellers claimed that a three per cent. was not harmful to the human brain. The matter was referred to the Supreme Court, which settled the question in an unusually clear decision arose The decision reads as follows: “Whereas the Anti-Hellenic League has claimed that a 3 per cent. Greck content is harmful, and “Whereas the Hellenic League has “Beast comicbooks.com cls co th de ar Gi he m: up fo fo re th