Judge, 1925-01-24 · page 12 of 36
Judge — January 24, 1925 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This is a humorous essay by Don Herold about summer leisure and reading, paired with satirical observations of family dynamics. **Main Content:** Herold complains about the oppressive heat in the city and argues there's too much reading material published worldwide—he'd prefer a five-year printing suspension. He notes that summers at camp became bearable years ago when they brought old newspapers for entertainment. **The Sidebar: "What Summer Symbolizes"** This is biting social satire listing what summer means to different family members. For the father: subway heat, bills, forced family trips, lost freedom. For the mother: escape from the father, household drudgery, pointless embroidery projects. For sister Ethel: fashionable clothes, ukuleles, late-night car dates, and "amorous sophomores"—suggesting sexual adventure. For brother Buddy: baseball (Babe Ruth reference). The humor lies in exposing family members' conflicting desires and the mother's particular domestic entrapment, while the sister's passage hints at 1920s youth rebellion and dating culture. The "no peace bathing suit" cartoon mocks one-piece swimwear popularity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* have been submarining some more GF our ship. LIGHT SUMMER READING by Don Herold uninG the recent hot spell under which the city has been sweltering, and which has driven thousands to sleep almost barefooted in Central Park, and which has completely roasted the excelsior crop in Southern Illinois (I am informed that there will be practically no excelsior with which to stuff Thanksgiving turkeys this year)—well, so many tiny little babies have broken out with the heat that there has been quite a flood of letters from anxious mothers on my desk every morning to which I have invariably replied that chil- dren should be given no wool cereal during the torrid months. I may be wandering, but one’s mind gets that way when the ther- mometer is tugging at its leash and when starched collars wilt at the very thought of a neck. ore « What I planned was some phil- osophy on reading and on summer reading in particular. * * * I have often said that there is entirely too much reading matter in the world, and the thought has returned to me with renewed empha- sis up here at our summer camp. With the exception of Jupor and its allied publications, it seems to me that it would be a good thing if there could be a general suspension of printing for five years. Several years ago when we first came up to this camp we brought along a pack of old newspapers and (Continued on page 25) What Summer Symbolizes To Father—Fifteen degrees hotter in the subway. Increased laundry bills. Hectic week-end trips to the country to join the family. Bills and more bills. Cold breakfasts. Cold suppers. Poker games in the parlor, Holes in his sox. Too darned much freedom in general, though a good chance to get away from mother. To Mother—A good chance to get away from father. A good chance to get rid of Ethel. A chance to es- cape dish washing. A chance to embroider thirty or forty tablecloths which will never be used and a chance to win the porch rocker marathon and endurance record. To Sister Ethel—New dresses, lin- gerie, shoes, etc. A ukulele. Mid- night rides in “chummy” roadsters. Dancing at deliciously naughty road- houses. One-piece bathing suits and amorous sophomores, all in a row. To Brother Buddy—Babe Ruth! ALL. L. Funnyboneps If birds of a Heather drink to- gether, each one pays for his own. The “no peace” bathing suit, comicbooks.com