Judge — June 5, 1926 — page 14: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon titled "Try These" depicts a stern-faced **Judge** (personified as an older man in judicial robes) offering alternatives to American constitutional values. He holds a document labeled "LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS" (paraphrasing the Declaration of Independence) while gesturing toward a crumbling foundation labeled "TOLERANCE." The chair beneath him lists prohibited activities: "DRINK LOVE MUSIC PLAY CARDS TALK FREELY THINK"—suggesting governmental or social restrictions on personal freedoms. The satire critiques **judicial overreach or social restrictions** that undermine fundamental American liberties. The collapsing "tolerance" foundation implies that abandoning civil freedoms creates instability. The cartoon likely comments on Prohibition, censorship, or other early 20th-century restrictions that the satirist saw as contradicting American founding principles.