Judge, 1924-02-23 · page 8 of 36
Judge — February 23, 1924 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Story of the Successful Quest and the Answered Question" This page satirizes hiring practices and business mentality of the era. A merchant seeking a purchasing agent receives dozens of applicants with credentials—salesmen citing experience, education, and prepared questionnaires. He rejects them all until Hugh arrives, a man with *no* relevant background. Hugh's advantage: he refuses to be sold unnecessary services. When getting a barber's shave, he buys only a shave—resisting upselling tactics. The merchant, impressed by this practical shrewdness, hires him on the spot. The satire mocks both pretentious credentialing (the failed applicants' degrees and credentials) and aggressive salesmanship of the period. It suggests that common sense and resistance to manipulation matter more than formal qualifications or polish. The cartoon below provides comic relief: a flustered motorist apologizes to a police officer for hitting him, mistakenly calling him a "pedestrian"—simple slapstick humor unrelated to the main story.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Bedtime Stories The Story of the Successful Ques and the Ds IN THE \nswered Question MARTS of trade of that a neelf in need of this merchar the it came to pass certain merchant found | the ser was a shrewd fellow had by his shrew an himself a zold daily considerable dus: He adverti publication and much in sundry Himeeclf reviewed the Reviewed ¢ xactly desc bes it for there Tt seemed that the comb Iuatis s of the of them ether with a great horde of others who were uncducated but widely experienced. And this ex ugerness not to be wondered for it was a very rrving with it a nice big le emolument ant to fill sked great numbers of pertiner Finishing to interview th of tl bl n were abl cold mer was questionnair: pertinent the old man went in, one by one But none to convinces hant of their Cop—Hey! qualifications for the place. At last it came the turn of Hugh, the hero of this story. The slowly old and seem gentleman looked him over 1 to like his looks. "Sit down,” he said Hugh sat. “Where's merchant asked. “LT threw it in the waste-basket.” an- swered Hugh. “TL didn’t see the idea of your time your questionnaire?” — the wasting and mine with such to sell ts rotten, or my ideas nonsense. [Lam here you my ability. as a purcha not my penmanship, whieh i about the fourth dimension of a gold-fish howl, which aren't.” Something in that.” Humph! ved the merchant, not unpleased 6 only a stunt to keep my son busy, any- way. He's just finished one of these col- lege commercial courses. Do you think you could handle this job?” ‘i sir.” “It'sa tough one and Pm paying out a to fill it. What we need here is a hard-boiled citizen who can lot of good money no’ these smooth business eters.” Someone that will buy what we need and not what these slick guys want to sell us. but not off me. Are you that kind of a hair-pin?” I suppose they got to live sir. ‘Had any buying experience?” “No, sir. I've been a salesman.” Phat’s ought to be onto their curves. not You ow what makes you think you can fill this job? Come on, show me.” necessarily 1. “Well, sir, when I go into a barber shop I don’t let them sell me a shave, hair-cut, shampoo, for a shave, I get a shave. hair tonic, vibration, mud — imas- shine and a ticket to the Barber's singe, You're hired,” roared the old man “Go out and chase those other birds.” Moran: Don't talle Chinese to a mar from Missouri H. L. Morrer. Wotinell’s th’ matter ’th you—runnin’ into me, hey? Flustered Motorist—Oh, pardon me, officer! I thought you were a pedestrian! comicbooks.com