Judge, 1924-06-07 · page 15 of 37
Judge — June 7, 1924 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the **Volstead Act** (Prohibition enforcement) through a two-part joke. The top map shows the U.S. with the caption "If all violators of the Volstead law were imprisoned"—implying so many people broke Prohibition that prisons couldn't hold them all. The cartoon below depicts a child reunion scenario where an absent father returns home. The family tries to get the child to recognize "Daddy" by making animal sounds ("Moo-moo," "Bow-wow," "Choo-choo") until finally succeeding with "Da-da." **The satire**: The father has been away so long—implied to be jail time for Volstead violations—that his own child doesn't recognize him. The seemingly innocent "memory game" actually mocks how common Prohibition arrests were, making paternal absence an ordinary family problem. The joke underscores how pervasive lawbreaking and imprisonment had become under Prohibition, affecting ordinary American households.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Describe Mrs. Grubstein’s dress and jewels in’ detail. Every little steno'll nt to know that... . MeGurk, you give me about 175 on that sleeping sickness yarn... . Miss Gwumpus, play that broker shooting for a column and a . What's new, Hockheimer? imer Phe are three kids sitting in one Selowartz Public School. Principal says: } at help it. No funds voted by the Board of Estimate. City Editor—Oh, well, 150 words will do on that. story. Boil it down... . Hello, Brown. that chorus-girl-minist Brown Vl bought her diary from her for only $350! (enterin yarn, the Found seat at the part-time sessions in worse than Got a good follow-up on canal ? broadeast’ the world! 1 nd his » detter: She there were six other chorit around with the old gent. pictures, Some spicy stuff! City Editor—Good work, Brownie! Go the limit on it. Dow't stint yourself. Three columns and a half ll do. We'll have a runover on the second page and a front-page layout with pictures. Hot dog! Some story! s trotting Got their names and The Countersign W's well, who's this? A man. We babies have to stand for alotof em. 1 gather that he’s b before and has just blown back in after a long trip. Strikes me he’s rather chubby with Mother. strange 1 trust he’s some relative. Zz “If all violators of the Volstead law were imprisoned.” Here he comes to be introduced to me. There i rgguely Familia him. all Drol He look ing to weep. FIL swear | He must think Pm some othe vone is consoling him. sissomethir tbout Gosh, he can’t place him. as if he is you really can’t expect a child of “Tt will all come back to him after a while.” “Don't worry.” that age to remember you.” Drat it, T must take up some of these memory. exercises all this fuss. Well, Eo must register somchow, though T haven't the slightest idea who the chap is. VI do all my stuff for him. Moo-moo? No? Missed it that time. ‘Try again. 1 can't go Bow-wow? Wrong again. 1 was just experimenting anyhow. Choo-choo? Ah, getting warm. Here ist chance. That hit it! Da-da? Da-dat Would you listen to all the racket by the ladie ‘Oh, Daddy, the little thing knows yout? “Did you ever know such a brilliant child!” T have it! heen Now all together, Te has Can't say Tve I's my old man. away some time. missed him, overwhelmingly. So that is Daddy. Maybe he doesn’t seem tickled. He's producing a interesting toy and presenting me it. Bet Pd have got it anyway. Maybe he has another. Da-da! Now I know why they've been poking that silly picture of a man in front of my face all the time. Farrrax Downey.