Judge, 1926-05-01 · page 9 of 36
Judge — May 1, 1926 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Cartoon Analysis: Judge Magazine Page 7 This page contains two distinct pieces: **Top cartoon**: A two-panel satirical commentary on politics. The first panel shows a zoo with the caption "IF WE MUST STARE AT SOMETHING, WHY NOT RELEASE THE ANIMALS?" The second panel depicts caged crowds labeled "CONGRESSMAN," "SENATORS," and "LOCAL POLITICIANS," with the caption "AND GAPE AT THE POLITICIANS?" The satire equates politicians with dangerous animals—suggesting they're less worthy of public attention than actual zoo creatures, or conversely, that politicians deserve to be caged like beasts. This reflects public cynicism about political institutions. **Main story**: "Let There Be Light" by Arthur L. Lippmann is a comedic narrative about an office worker named Blinks whose faulty German cigar lighter malfunction becomes catastrophic—he throws it out a window, it ignites on impact, and burns down two adjacent buildings. He's arrested for arson. The humor derives from the gap between the lighter's advertised reliability ("fool-proof") and its dangerous failure, satirizing both overhyped consumer products and German engineering claims popular in the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
pressed it again—and_ still again The cigars drooped lower and some became just a trifle spongy. Blinks smiled a wan, apologetic smile, tinged with wistfulness. ‘Probably got to put in a new wick,” he grinned, suiting the action to the word. With the wick firmly inserted, poor Blinks gazed hopefully at the lighter. His lips moved slightly—as if in prayer—and his pressure on the little emery wheel this time was almost acaress. Twice he struck it, but no spark ensued. His lips white and (F WE MUST STARE AT his jaw firm, Blinks gave it a final whack, a hearty whack, a vicious whack. Butnospark came. Witha or ] T I cry of rage he threw: the lighter out of the window down into the air shaft. Then we all lit up with good old- fashioned —corner-grocery Swedish matches, the odiferous, sulphurous kind that come about a thousand in a nickel box. Then suddenly the office door was pushed open and three firemen confronted us. “Which one of you guys threw this down th shaft?” they demanded. “I did,” gulped Blinks. “Well, you're under arrest for at- tempted arson. The darned thing @ND GAPE AT THE POLITICIANS 7 ignited when it struck the ground and the blaze burned down the two adjoining buildings.” Arthur L. Lippmann Let There Be Light HIS morning Blinks came to work with his new, sterling silver, self-starting, hundred-cigars-to-the- quart cigar lighter. “A German in- vention,” whispered Blinks to me across the double-entry ledge fool-proof, sanitary, econom quite fashionable. You see it works this wv and Blinks rotated the little emery wheel briskly with his thumb. Again he pressed it, but no spark rewarded his efforts. “Probably ran out of gasoline,” apologized Blinks, dispatching the office boy for a gallon of the fluid, “went to a smoker last night and the gol-darned thing was hitting on all six.” In due time the urchin ap- peared and Blinks poured gasoline into the lighter. “Get your cigars ready, boys,” ad- monished Blinks, “and watch this little engine light ’em up. Eight or nine of the boss’ cigars drooped from mouths and Blinks opti- Cuampton KickEr—This is a fishing expedition, and you've forgotten mistically spun the little wheel. He the rods and tackle! comicbooks.com