Judge, 1925-07-04 · page 15 of 36
Judge — July 4, 1925 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes overzealous censorship and social control, likely during the Prohibition era (1920s). The illustration shows a "county censor" figure wielding arbitrary power over citizens' behavior. The poem, parodying Kipling's "Danny Deever," depicts a man hanged not for crime but for minor infractions: kissing his wife, visiting a matinee, smiling, smoking, and keeping alcohol. The censor represents government overreach—punishing ordinary pleasures and joyful living as moral offenses. "Boob-on-Parade" (the everyman questioning the censor) represents the bewildered public. The cartoon criticizes how authorities criminalize innocent behavior, create fear through arbitrary enforcement, and suppress human happiness in the name of morality or order. The final exchange where any romantic encounter gets labeled "Censored" emphasizes the absurdity of total behavioral control. The satire warns against letting censors dictate private conduct.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Danny Deever (With Genuflections to Kipling) “Wer are the policemen runnin’ for?” said Boob-on-Parade. “A man you know ’as kissed ’is wife,” the county censor said. “What makes you look so blue, so blue?” said Boob-on-Parade. “Why blue is now our country’s hue,” the county censor said. For they're hangin’ Danny Deever *cause he went to matinée, And also ‘cause he kissed his wife upon their wedding day— They'll teach our country’s people that it’s wrong to be too gay, ‘And they’re hangin’ Danny Deever in the mornin’. “What makes those people slave so hard?” said Boob-on-Parade. “To pay the rent, to pay the rent,” the county censor said. “Why can’t they get a little ale?” said Boob-on-Parade. “Shut up or you will land in jail,” the county censor said. For they're hangin’ Danny Deever ‘cause his mustache smelled of beer, . And also ‘cause his smilin’ face re- flected too much cheer. They'll make the population live a dismal life and drear, And they’re hangin’ Danny Deever in the mornin.’ TT DEAON VATA Sue—Who was that lady I scen you with last night? He—Censored. “But Danny just was full of life,” said Boob-on-Parade. “But Danny dared to kiss his wife!” the county censor said. “Yet Danny was a splendid type,” said Boob-on-Parade. “°E ‘ad no right to smoke a pipe,” the county censor said. So they're hangin’ Danny Deever "cause he smoked a cigarette And also ‘cause they found he had a well-stocked cellaret. And all of us are Deevers nowadays to our regret— And the whole darned country seems to be in mournin’. Arthur L. Lippmann comicbooks.com