Judge, 1922-08-12 · page 5 of 36
Judge — August 12, 1922 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of "Save Insomnia" by Don Herold This satirical article critiques the "Stop Insomnia" movement—an apparent public campaign to help people sleep better. Herold argues ironically that insomnia should be *preserved* because sleeplessness enables creative achievement. The cartoon shows a man confronting a woman surrounded by sleep remedies and devices (hot water bottles, pillows, etc.), illustrating the commercial push to eliminate insomnia. Herold's point: society is organizing against insomnia, but this threatens creative impulse. He claims great poets, painters, and musicians produced their best work during sleepless nights. The satire mocks both the era's emerging commercialization of sleep-aids and what he sees as misguided anti-insomnia campaigns that would rob artists of productive restlessness. The article reflects 1920s debates about modernity, commerce, and artistic life.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
First Nighter—My dearest Cloe, if you marry me you'll live the life of a lady. Cloe. Drawn by GiLuent idea for the peanut 1 whistle, during a si of bed, when th And hei during you to see how ser eyes, Ford g: moments of insomnia. WILKIN And there's the piccolo. by aman with insomnia. re some other ON ¢ That means my entire theatrical ex- perience wasted, Bobby, old dear! j | Save Insomnia by Don Herold I believe that is correct. And how many of you know that the inventor of the peanut roaster got the aster, including the of insomnia? Also invented He jumped out a hit him, and worked on the blue prints until sunrise. which the world owes to insomnia: the hot water bottle, pantry shelf paper, linoleum, the portable folding canvas bathtub, the « role, blotters, hooks and sts, fly paper and hair nets oa moment at the other ‘try, music, paintir ~ TE could name thousands t poems which were written during I could give a list ut things. the ideas for which came to their inventors ¢ hours of insomni (L just want certain movement is. I will tell you about it in a minute Here are some of the great’ inventions *S great poems to my secretary and have recheck off the ones written in insomnia. She knows. She knows as ‘And painting—how often we red ut painter catching the theme fora great painting during an hour of sleeplessness and jumping out of bed, whistling it, and sitting down madly at his piano and playing it out hurriedly pigment by pigment. |The hours of darkness seem ts he necessary to really great painting. Stop insomnia and you will absolutely stifle the creative impulse in Do you see what Pam drivi fmerica. Fisherman—Need any help? “Yes, some one to argue with my wife while I fix this accursed engine.” They are trying to stop it. They will stop it unless you and T rise up and defend it, you and I who care some- thing about the creative impulse, about painting, poetry and hooks and eyes and hair nets, I AVEN’T you noticed the insidious ign against. insomnia? Haven't you, now that [have mentioned it, notic a little falling off in insomnia in your neighborhoc I tell you in- somnia ison the wane, People are sleep- They don’t know it, but they ing more, are being taught to sleep more. [don't know who is against insomnia or why, ex- ure always plenty of people t there rl and ate switchboard. Where do you suppose all those sugges- tions for getting to sleep that we heard in recent ye i rs have Did you eve itheumum te: induce a boulder placed in the pillow warm chr: sleep or th will make vou so restless that you will reful rted tely drift. into a deep, pe No. Their bureau sti those ideas. Continued on page 31) comicbooks.com