Judge — September 23, 1922 — page 18: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes the idealistic promises college freshmen make versus their actual behavior. George Mitchell's poem presents a freshman solemnly vowing to live responsibly: study hard, avoid excess spending, not pursue romantic distractions, abstain from smoking and drinking, and write home regularly. The humor lies in the contradictions baked into the text itself—phrases like "not very much" drinking and "not so very often" asking for money undercut the noble declarations. The illustrations use "Comparative Anatomy" as a framework, showing the freshman's idealized self versus reality across different "subjects": **Sociology** depicts a gentleman versus his actual behavior with women; **Chemistry** shows laboratory equipment alongside bottles of alcohol, suggesting the freshman's real "experiments" involve drinking rather than academics. This reflects 1920s concerns about college students' actual conduct—partying, spending money frivolously, and pursuing romantic interests despite parental expectations of academic focus.