Judge, 1925-10-10 · page 26 of 37
Judge — October 10, 1925 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines art print advertisements with a humorous essay on fire prevention. The **art prints section** markets decorative images for men's dens—"The Busybody" (a woman in motion) and "Be Yourself" (a mischievous woman)—reflecting early 20th-century tastes in masculine domestic decoration. The **"Fire Prevention" essay** by Carroll is satirical commentary disguised as practical advice. It mocks both actual fire hazards and contemporary attitudes toward them. The author employs absurdist humor: suggesting hiring boy scouts to start fires "the Indian way," dropping cigarettes in wastebaskets, and referencing a dubious 1861 egg-cooking anecdote. The Houdini reference adds surreal comedy. The closing line—"Another good way to avoid a fatal fire is to agree with the boss"—shifts to social satire: workers accepting poor workplace safety conditions (like unsafe oil stoves in camps) rather than demanding improvements. This reflects early 20th-century labor tensions and corporate indifference to employee welfare. The piece uses absurdist exaggeration to critique both dangerous practices and worker powerlessness.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PRINTS for a MAN’S DEN “The Busybody” By Sam Brown A tantalizing and appealing picture that is, a wonderful delineation of virile living motion. Our reproduction in all the vivid coloring of the painting is from the, engraver’s original plates. Printed on heavy Art Mat, size 844 x 1134 inches. Carefully packed and sent postpaid upon receipt of $1.00 each “Be Yourself” By Robert Patterson Allof the mad, frolicking impishness that is so often hidden behind a saintly. mask of de- mureness by daughters of Eve has been cap- tured by the artist in this intriguing picture Printed in full color on heavy Art Mat, size 8% by 111 inches, ready for framing. Prints will be carefully packed and sent postpaid upon receipt of 50c each =e Other Art Prints SNAPPY ART | “THE CURSE OF DRINK” 25 Cents ‘ “SATURDAY NIGHT” 50 “ “THE SPANISH BARK” SOR «8 ART PRINT DEPARTMENT 627 West 43d Street, New York Fire Prevention vE of the best ways of preventing a fire is to hire a boy scout to start one with a bow and arrow, the way the Indians used to before the Vikings introduced safety matches into this country which was even be-, fore Priscilla and John Alden made what was thought to be a good match. Another good way to avoid a con- flagration is to drop busy cigarette butts into employed waste-paper baskets. It will, of course, smell terrible, but only in the movies has a fire ever been known to commence this way. However, anything will start a fire in the pictures. A few glowing words and a scene of blazing splendor and the fire laddies are on their way, giving the organist a splendid opportunity to test out the various stops on his instrument. I guess you’d call it an instrument. You call what surgeons and dentists work with, instruments. Oil stoves, the kind they have in It’s quicker to write! —London Mail summer camps, are mar prevention devices. There of one burning long enough to fry an egg, but that was way back in the summer of 1861 when summers were summers (not just simmers), so it’s highly possible that it was the sun’s heat that cooked the egg, the folk tale of the stove’s success growing out of the incident as folk tales grow (long and curly). Houdini claims that he once suc- ceeded in setting fire to a piece of cotton waste with a Swedish safety match while handcuffed in a sealed milk can full of gasoline, but then this is such an awkward position for lighting things that it can hardly be considered a dangerous threat. Of course, if you want to do it you can wear that old soiled suit you’ve been meaning to send to the cleaners and probably knock the spots out of it. Another good way to avoid a fatal fire is to agree with the boss. Carroll | — You Ss” il perie your corks your custe your: pictu a ser of ou you and comicbooks.com