Judge, 1926-10-23 · page 16 of 36
Judge — October 23, 1926 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the pretensions of New York's elite social establishments, particularly the Algonquin Hotel and Club, which was famous as a gathering place for Manhattan's intelligentsia and literati. The joke inverts logic: five historical figures are "nominated" for a Hall of Fame based on absurd criteria mixing genuine accomplishments with petty negations. The recurring punchline—that none of them "ate at the Algonquin"—mocks the club's self-importance by suggesting exclusion from this fashionable venue is actually a point of pride for history's greatest figures. Secondary jokes target other elite institutions: Washington "never had a bicycle" (anachronistic), Grant smoked "big strong cigars" (his known habit), Jackson "never sat on the Yale fence" (unclear reference), and Henry "never went to Dartmouth" (rival institution snob). The satire suggests that the Algonquin's members were pompous social climbers who overestimated their venue's significance compared to genuine historical achievement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
M4 GEORGE WASHINGTON (Right) Because he was the father of his country, never had a bicycle, and because he never ate at the Algonquin. (Left) U.S. GRANT Because he fought it out on that line and took all summer, because he amoked big strong cigars and because he never ate at the Algonquin. (left) STONEWALL JACKSON Because he preferred blondes, because he never sat on the Yale fence, and because he never ate at the Algonquin. PATRICK HENRY (Right) Because he said, “Give me liberty or give me death,” because he never went to Dartmouth and because he never ate at the Coffee House. JUDGE NAPOLEON BONAPARTE Because he never told any traveling salesman stories, because he photo- graphed very well, but never posed for Alfred Cheney Johnson, and because be never ate at the Algonquin. comicbooks.com