Judge, 1922-11-25 · page 22 of 36
Judge — November 25, 1922 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Judge magazine page satirizes military medal-giving and patriotic posturing during or after World War I. The top photograph shows military and government officials (including what appears to be the President and Secretary of War) in formal dress. The caption ironically notes they "make the balls" for Army fire—suggesting bureaucratic distance from actual combat. The lower section, titled "Please Pass the Medals," features **Cyrus LeRoy Baldridge**, an artist-soldier who drew combat scenes from the front lines. The satire's point: Baldridge, who actually contributed to the war effort through his documentary art, deserves medals as much as desk-bound officials distributing them. The cartoon (right) depicts a soldier with rifle, reinforcing the contrast between those in actual danger and those awarding honors from safety. The phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" undercuts typical military hierarchy, suggesting artistic documentation of war was as valuable as combat itself. The overall message critiques how medals and glory flow to administrators rather than creative contributors to the war effort.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
fe fe fe fe fe Be A CRICCIETH TI IIE IRR ATA IAAI IIIA RA AIA AAIAI SII ASIII IAAISISISISIISSISISISISISISASIAS IS FOI III III ISI IOI ICI OI inti iii tilt i ito bitoni ht iit ttt ttt tht RRR RRR AAR * KaKKKhhhh ling from left to right: The President in full uniform as C r in- u ©lnternational chief of the United States Army, Secre Veeks, wh S * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *« * * * * *« * * I Please Pass the Medals Cyrus LeRoy Baldridge, in the full uniform of a Poih Yank who helped draw the war to a close by drawing pic- tures of the men in action at the front, thus proving the old adage, the pen is mightier than the sword. As a French soldier, Baldridge was a darned fine Yank.