Judge, 1921-08-20 · page 12 of 36
Judge — August 20, 1921 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page from *Judge* magazine contains several short humorous pieces typical of early 20th-century American satire: **"Hey, Maud!"** is a rural poem where a judge on horseback shouts at a farmworker, she angrily responds, and he clarifies he was addressing his mule—a simple misunderstanding joke. **The other pieces** are brief comedic vignettes about domestic life and social situations: a woman seeking gold collar buttons for an oddly-shaped man, a husband sarcastically offering money for his wife's beauty treatments, a child asking about "spirit control" (likely séance spiritualism), and a motorist unconcerned about dangerous driving because his car is insured. **"A Safe Message"** satirizes how women share intimate letters among friends, misinterpret humor as earnestness, and read between the lines—the advice: tear up personal letters and send generic greeting cards instead. **The bottom cartoon** features two "cooties" (lice), anthropomorphized as soldiers discussing tramp life—a WWI-era reference. The humor relies on domestic anxieties, gender stereotypes, and period-specific references rather than political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Drawn by J. NorMAN LYN. KEEN, RED-BLOODED, STEEL-TRAP EXECUTIVES IN CONFEI Hey, Maud! By RoBert L. PEMBERTON MA4vpD MULLER on a summer d lay Raked the meadow sweet with hay; The Judge came riding by that And thus she heard him harsh “Wake up there, Maud! Maud raised aloft her raking tool And shrilled with anger, ““Darned old fool!” The Judge replied, ‘Fair maid, keep cool: I was but speaking to my mule. Step lively, Maud!” In a Haberdashery Sweet Young Thing—I want to get some gold collar buttons for a man with a dome-shaped head and a long shank. Economic Investment Wife—John, will you give me $25 to get my hair permanently waved? Husband—Yes, and here’s $100 to get your hat permanently trimmed. Shifting Sands “Pa, what is meant by spirit con- trol?” “Formerly physician.” the butler, now the Called By TERRELL LOVE HOLLIDAY She said her name was Julie. i though she told me truly, But changed opinions, by and by. Truth teller, she was not one. Her birth month was a hot one; So now I call her Miss July. You May Be Sure of It “Won’t the new beach censorship e away the bathers?” “No; not the bathers!” ——, Drawn by C. T. ANDERSON. “DON'T YOU FEEL NERVOUS DRIVING SO PAST AROUND THIS DANGEROUS CURVE? ope! I GOT THE OLD BUS INSURED FER ENOUGH JACK TO GIT A BRAND NEW ONE.” -.. greetings, THE Usual, on Front VIEW AND— A Safe Message By WILLIAM SANFORD UST before you seal that letter to “ a girl acquaintance say to your- self: “What is going to happen to my letter? “Will it be read to the members of a bridge club? “Will extracts from it be quoted to a girl friend? “Will what I wrote for humor be read as tragedy and throw the girl into hysterics? “Will all her friends gather around her and call me a brute? “Will the little items that I wrote for brilliant wit be regarded as stupid and sil “Will she read a lot between the lines when there is nothing there? “Will she wonder why I wrote at all?” Now take the letter, tear it into s -seven pieces and send the girl a pretty souvenir card with “greet- ings” on it. Everyone likes to receive and they are a_ pretty safe thing to send. The Great Highway First Cootie—Where've you been? On a vacation? Second Cootie—Well, one. Been on a tramp. kind of 2