Judge, 1926-01-16 · page 3 of 36
Judge — January 16, 1926 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page: "Ground Hogs" This satirical poem mocks the speculative Florida real estate boom, likely from the 1920s. The title "Ground Hogs" sarcastically refers to land speculators as animals blindly burrowing into schemes. The verse criticizes developers selling remote, worthless parcels as valuable property—"ballyhoo barkers sell Florida acres" to naive buyers. It lists absurd developments: coconut huts, guilible nut plots, and professions (plumbers, brokers) now acting as realtors. The accompanying cartoon shows a real estate agent pitching swampland to a couple in a jungle setting, claiming amenities ("sunken garden," "garage," "kiddies playing around the house")—the visual punchline to the poem's theme about fraudulent land sales to unsuspecting buyers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘tLLFE Ground Hogs hail to the planned booms, ad booms, America’s orgy of advertised land booms, Where ballyhoo fakers sell Florida acres ‘fo Towa bakers and Maine under- takers; Where stucco rococo huts under the oanuts Sell fora million to guillible loco nuts. Paters and maters ure now real estaters; realty Plumbers and stokers are brokers. FLorwwa Rea Estate AGeNt—Can’t ye just see it? LIBERTY JUDGE BILVOES AND THE Profits they sock away far north as Give ‘em a billion and take a square ny! Sadly rejected the old occupations, Madly neglected for land specula- tions. Reaching from Boston much further than Fargo, Uncle Sam's nephews have learned a new argot; Cowboy and plowboy and Rio Grande gringo Speak nowadays in the realtor’s lingo. and the kiddies playing around the house! PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS" The new Golden Fleece is a vault full of leases. And none puts on more front than him who owns “shore front.” The really “who's who” prints, the new prints are blueprints Of bungalows basking in tropical hue tints. I know every lot, every plot, every tree on The State once explored by old Poncy De Leon. In realty’s kingdom I'm mentally a grand lord. . . But say, can you loan me ten bucks for the landlord? ALL. L. The sunken garden here, the garage there, ~ comicbooks.com