Judge — July 5, 1924 — page 35: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a self-referential joke from Judge magazine's puzzle department. The cartoon shows two gentlemen: one on the left appearing cheerful and energetic, the other on the right looking dejected and drenched (indicated by the lines suggesting rain or distress). The puzzle's humor lies in its circular logic: readers are asked to identify which man subscribed to "a certain magazine"—which is Judge itself. The answers reveal the joke: the happy man subscribed (answer: "the gentleman on the left"), the miserable one didn't (answer: "the other one"), and the magazine is Judge (answer: "Oh, you guessed that one right away?"). This is essentially advertising disguised as entertainment—a playful way to promote magazine subscriptions by suggesting that subscribing brings happiness while refusing to do so brings misery. The self-aware punchline acknowledges readers' recognition of the magazine's own promotional intent.