Judge, 1922-08-26 · page 2 of 36
Judge — August 26, 1922 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page contains an editorial statement titled **"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"** signed by "JUDGE," the magazine's editor or editorial voice. The text is a **manifesto of the publication's values and approach**, not a political cartoon. It explains Judge's editorial philosophy: championing individual freedoms (religious, speech, press), optimism balanced with realism, political independence (Republican but acknowledging Democratic merits), and **humor as the primary tool** for social commentary. Key to understanding Judge's purpose: the editor positions **laughter and satire as vehicles for addressing serious issues**—using wit rather than solemnity to critique "big problems of the day." This reflects late 19th/early 20th-century American satirical journalism's ethos of informed, humorous social criticism serving the "pursuit of Happiness."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” a BELIEVE that every American is entitled to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’’—as much so to-day as when these “inalienable rights” were first set forth in our Declaration of Independence. By “life” [ mean not life imprisonment in a penitentiary of prohibitions, but life in its civilized fullness, as free from the robbery and starvation of the spirit as from that of the body. And that was our forefathers’ meaning. “Liberty” goes a step further. In the famous phrase that I have made my slogan it means that in those activities which distinguish us from the animals, we shall, within reasonable limits and with full regard for the rights of others, do as we're a-mind to. It means, for example, that we shall enjoy religious freedom, that we shall enjoy freedom of speech, of the drama and of the press, that we shall give or withhold our labor as we see fit and that we shall regulate our own private conduct according to our own individual consciences. And that is my meaning. Now for the “pursuit of Happiness,” the positive thing, for which “Life” and “Liberty” prepare the way. I won't try to define it because to everyone it means a different thing. But whatever its wholesome aspect or disguise, I believe init. Iama hound on its trail; Iam a happiness fan. I believe in the antiseptic and tonic quality of laughter. I dip my pen in it, and whether for the moment I am using my pen as a tickler, a surgical instrument or a weapon, as a bone or nut pick or a toasting fork, I aim always to leave laughter behind as an anodyne and a stimulant to heal the sores and lift the spirits of mankind. I keep my friends informed of the best things in the Theater, on the Screen, in Sports and new Books; I help them in the fields of the Motor, Radio and wise Investment—all agencies of happiness. I am an optimist, but without blinders. I am a Republican, but there are some things Republican I don’t like, and [I can see some good things Democratic. My editorials and cartoons express my carefully considered opinions on the big problems of the day, sincerely but never solemnly. Humor is my medium. Humanity is my passion. Fanaticism is my pet aversion. be |