Judge, 1923-10-27 · page 11 of 36
Judge — October 27, 1923 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis for Modern Readers This page contains two unrelated pieces of early 20th-century satire: **"Utilizing Your German Marks"** mocks the hyperinflation of German currency after World War I, when German marks became so worthless they were literally used as wallpaper or paste. The "advice" column sarcastically suggests humorous uses—including passing them off as certificates or to transit conductors—satirizing both the currency collapse and petty fraud schemes that exploited it. **The cartoons** show domestic humor: the top depicts a woman presenting her fiancé to a friend; the middle shows two women with cleaning supplies, with one joking about being called a witch (likely a Halloween reference); the bottom features a brief exchange about parking scarcity at a coal magnate's house, and moviegoers debating whether to read story descriptions or just look at pictures. The satire targets post-WWI economic chaos, everyday marital dynamics, and emerging consumer culture around automobiles and cinema.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ecstatic Fiancée—And now that you've met him, dearie, Utilizing Your German Marks by the Financier He you any German marks about the house? If so, why not make use of them. There are any number of ways they may be utilized if you will only take the trouble to use your ingenuity and imagination. Of course, everyone knows they can be used for wall paper (I. mean the marks can)—using worthless bills for that pur- pose has been joked about since the days of the Colonists. But, frankly, have you ever known of anyone who did it? Why not try it yourself the next time the wife goes out? Purchase several pounds of flour, extract a couple of gallons of water from the faucet and mix in a boiler over the gas range until it turns into paste. ‘Then, with a large brush, apply the paste to the parlor walls, being careful not to spill any on the carpet or on the chromo of grandpa. When you have accomplished quickly affix the marks, taking care lest you permit certain patches of the original paper to shine through. Survey your work at a distance and, if it does not thoroughly satisfy you, serape the marks off with a currycomb (you can get one at any stable in the neigh- borhood) and do the job all over again. Do not become discouraged if your first and second attempts are unsuccessful; it may be necessary to do the job six’ or seven times before the desired effect. is obtained, and even then it may not be. When your wife returns and recovers from the first shoc k her how she likes it—but don't take too seriously any reference she makes to divorce and heredi- tary dementia. Naturally, if she becomes too violent it may be necessary to quiet “Jimmie says you're a witch—Halloween or not.” “Oh, no! No broomsticks in mine. 9 isn't he just too everything for anything! her by placing the paste bucket over her head or promising her a new hat or some- thing. Clever folks sometimes use their marks in place of certificates when exchanging them for premiums. ‘This is the way they work it. Before entering the store they a number of me ween the tes. Then, while the girl in the store is counting them, they look her straight in the eyes and smile. The girl unconsciously looks into their eyes and keeps on counting. forgetting, however, to look at the certificates she is counting. Marks and certificates feel alike, of course, One more . [have heard that some trolley conductors accept marks: in lieu of transfers. As Tam not y sure of this, T can’t) con- au) ks be scientiously guarantee it. cand Enough Said H EK PAPA was a coal king, She had a pretty face, No wonder when you went to call, You found noparkingspace. eae Experienced Movie Fan— ables.” Novice story first. “What has the story got to do with the picture?” T'd rather read the comicbooks.com