Judge, 1924-08-02 · page 34 of 37
Judge — August 2, 1924 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon satirizes wealth-based inequality in the criminal justice system. A minister visits a prisoner who explains he's incarcerated simply for lacking money—implying that wealthy individuals, even when mentally unstable, escape prosecution or face milder treatment. The joke inverts the expected logic: normally insanity might excuse crime, but here poverty is the actual "crime." The page also features Judge's "Fifty-fifty Contest" (a humor competition), with winning and honorable-mention submissions offering humorous reasons for various misfortunes—mostly working-class complaints. Lower sections reference contemporary figures: psychoanalyst Dr. A.A. Brill and sculptor Gutzon Borglum, commenting on public decline. A final note mocks spending $400,000 to fireproof the White House when Vice President Charles Dawes "isn't even vice-president yet"—likely satirizing unnecessary government expenditure or premature security measures. The comic strip "Reading Maketh a Full Man" at bottom appears unrelated.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Minister—What are you in here for, my good man? Prisoner—Because I wasn’t rich enough to be insane. The $25 Prize in Jupae’s Fifty-fifty Contest, No. 25, confidence, parson! She told that her husband was announced in the June 21, 1924 issue, was won by Julia out of town,” C. T. Begley, Jr., 2208 South Twenty- E. Adams, 62 Montague street, Brooklyn, N. Y. third street, Philadelphia, Pa.; “For me health, sor. Thad sivin wives,” R. Carmen Davis, Route 3, Box $80, Answers which receive honorable mention are: “Me Houston, Tex.; “Parson, my bag leaked,” “My partner doctor ordered arrest cure,” Harry J. Francis, 108 trumped my ace!” A. G. Sturrock, 285 North Dithridge South Second street, San Jose, Cal.; “Because I’m not street, Pittsburgh, Pa.; “I made a mistake, I laughed Houdini,” J. H. Sheldon, Spirit Lake, Ia; “Misplaced at the wrong Judge,” R. C. Pierson, Waterloo, N. Y. The noted psychoanalyst, Dr. A. A. Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, depre- © The White House is to be made fire- Brill, divides mankind into two classes— cates the low level to which men in proof at a cost of $400,000. In view of schizoids and syntonics. Which doesn’t public life have declined. The statue the fact that Mr. Dawes isn’t even vice- sound like giving a fellow much of a outlook is pretty poor in that regard, president yet, this seems like a needless choice. come to think of it. precaution. _ =a) BULLETIN FRE, EVENING OU et a RAIDERS |, 20,000 | cases |, IN OLD comicbooks.com