Judge, 1925-03-14 · page 12 of 36
Judge — March 14, 1925 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page contains two satirical pieces mocking pseudoscientific inventions and fitness trends: **Top cartoon:** Ridicules "physical culturists" (early 20th-century fitness enthusiasts obsessed with bodybuilding) who want cars but refuse to abandon walking. The joke is a absurdist car design where passengers must walk continuously while riding—combining contradictory desires. **"Professor Blotter" comic:** A fictional scientist invents increasingly ridiculous fishing devices: a self-bailing pipe, dynamite-filled artificial worms, and captures an "india rubber fish" that escapes by turning itself inside-out. The humor is pure nonsense—fish that laugh at mirrors, dynamite bait that requires beating fish with oars. **"Krazy Kracks":** A simple children's joke about the word "discover." **Bottom strip:** Shows subway passengers doing calisthenics during commutes—satirizing the obsession with fitness and maximizing every moment, presented as undignified wrestling matches. The satire targets the era's craze for physical culture and invented gadgets solving non-existent problems through absurd logic.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The physical culturists who wanted the luxury of a car, but who didn't want to gire up walking, hare a special model designed for them. The Absorbing Adventures of Professor Blotter RoressoR Buorrer has at last invented a self-bailing pipe for fishermen who keep the stem be- tween their teeth all day. The sue- cess of this invention was so instan- taneous that the famous scientist has been encouraged to devote his atten- tion to other problems which face the disciples of Izaak Walton. Tt was while on a fishing expedition in Florida that Blotter stumbled on the invention of Blotter bait, that ingenious artificial worm which is made entirely of dynamite. Accord- ing to the professor, the fish swallows the worm, the angler hits the fish over the head with an oar im- mediately afterwards, and the results are usually very satisfactory. The professor says that the consequences of such a fishing expedition some- times prove quite shocking. But it was his capture of the india rubber fish that gave Blotter the greatest thrill on his little expe- dition. It seems this extraordinary “Good Lord, Brown, you look like a pretzel! Why don’t you see an osteo- path and get put right?” “That's it. I've just come from one!” KRALY KRACKS "Give ma a, ventence with the word Ey Discover “T ain't gonna NG pay discorer t charge.” ip py "98 er eh hry ath pat. fish protects itself ‘rom capture by a most ingenious method. Whenever it swallows a hook, it immediately puts its tail in its mouth, turns itself inside out and extracts the hook; it then swims rapidly backwards until it turns itself outside in again, and flits off among the water hyacinths, lightly touching its fin to its nose. “T was out shooting flying fish along the Indian River,” said Blotter, “and owing to the enthusiastic operation of a number of trained dog- fish who were not only excellent pointers but also very eager to fetch and carry, I had soon bagged a con- siderable number. At this moment I saw the fish I particularly de- sired. Hook and bait proved of no avail and I was in despair when an inspiration occurred to me. Seizing a pocket mirror I tied it on the end of my line and lowered it to the fish. The fish glanced into the mirror and saw for the first time how a fish looks, and immediately laughed him- self to death. I gathered him in with a net.” Corey Ford ay GETTING IN. WCRK ON THE “RINGS” The half-hour in the subway need not be wasted. ONE - ROUND BOUT WITH FELLOW: PASSENGER. GETTING OUT, comicbooks.com