Judge, 1923-09-29 · page 7 of 36
Judge — September 29, 1923 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis for Modern Readers This page contains two satirical pieces from *Judge* magazine: **"A Hardy Perennial"** is a humorous essay about unwanted magazine subscriptions. The author describes subscribing to *The Gulf States Farmer* through a friend and becoming unable to cancel it despite repeated requests to the editor. Years pass; the friend dies, yet the magazine keeps arriving with the same content (prize bulls, fertilizers, hogs). The author jokes that this publication is so permanent it will outlast him and his descendants forever—an eternal, inescapable "hardy perennial." The accompanying illustration shows a joyful man (appearing to be a farmer or rustic figure) leaping enthusiastically, likely representing the magazine's irrepressible persistence. **"Too Much Cheek"** is a brief comic poem about a poet admiring a large woman, making a somewhat crude joke about her "ample face" and his belongings—unclear satirical intent without additional context. The satire mocks both unwanted direct mail and the era's agricultural magazine marketing—still recognizable frustrations today, though the specific product placement is dated.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
| 7rans and years ago,a well-intentioned friend of mine who had journeyed South, put my name on the mailing list of the rural paper—The Gulf States Farmer, it was called. When first’ the periodical came [ looked) through it from cover to cover, but the only point of interest [ found was in the he of the editorial page—A. A. Winter- bottom, Managing Editor. ‘The rest. of the paper was taken up with news of the crops with advertisements for fer- tilizers and chicken feed, and with pic- tures of prize bulls and beautiful hogs. My friend's name held a fleeting interest for me, but I could hardly be expec to wax ic over the cognomen every time The Farmer came. Coupled with prize bulls and beautiful hogs, it grew by repetition a trifle tiresome. One morning of every month—when, per- haps, I was looking for a check or a letter, the postman would blow his. whistle, and give over into my tremblingly ex- pectant hands—The Gulf States Farmer. \ twelvemonth slipped by, and [ was about to write my friend, telling him that though [rej ach month to see his name in the midst of all these beautiful bulls and magnificent hogs and unsurpassed fertilizers, still it was hardly fair to expect his paper to be at a loss on my aecount; and would he please, for the next ar, discontinue my sub- scription. But before I had time to ading pen the letter, the news reached me that Winterbottom had passed awa: “Hurr: I cried unfeelingly, “The Gulf States Farmer will come no more!” But no—it came the next month as usual. My friend’s name w but the beautiful hogs and 1 bulls and unsurpassed fertilizers re- mained. What puzzled me was why they should get out more than one issue i 1c; to my untrained eye, ange of date, The Farmer always looked precisely the same. I wrote a letter to the new editor, stating my wish to be dropped from the mailing list. My request was ig- nored. I wrote another letter, and A HARDY PERENNIAL by Cyril B. Egan another, and another. But for all the answer they got, [ might as well have dropped them in the sewer... . Years have passed by. I am an old faith in Cas carth. My faith, so far as the man_ now, disillusioned, with few humans or human institutions. price, L have found, rules. the Nothing lasts. “HOORAY!” material world goes, rests only in The Gulf States’ Farmer. ‘That persevering periodical, with its beautiful bulls and blue-ribbon hogs and ever-omnipresent unexcellable fertiliz constant, true, all-satisfying. Actually I have developed a tenderness for the thing and couldn't exist without it. Yes, [look upon its arrival - in kindly s. goes on forever fashion i for in it [see the possibility: that shall I now; my name be immo: will pass away; still to my chil- dren The Gulf States Farmer shall come,with the little pink slip: C. B. Ean, 1008 Feather- bed Lane. My children shallpass away: but even to their — children The Gulf States Farmer shall come, bearing the little pink slip: . B. Ecax, 1008 Featherbed Lane. And my children’s children shall pass away, and their children after” them. The aeons shall roll by; but. still: shall go on even above the crack of doom, shall be heard, at the quondam residence of C. B. Egan, 1008 Feather- bed Lane—the postman’s whistle, har- bingering beautiful bulls and magnificent hogs and most useful fertilizers, announce: ing the arrival of The Gulf States tt Too Much Cheek A Meet loved a maiden larze, His soul was full of longings. He dwelt upon her ample face He might, with his belongings. ee yes, Farme “T don’t see how eggs.” “T'm thinking of the smile the waitress served them with.” tots you can eat these We are seeing a good many vaccination marks these days. “New England’s got a President again!” 5 comicbooks.com