Judge, 1927-04-23 · page 13 of 36
Judge — April 23, 1927 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge Magazine Satire Analysis This page satirizes Judge magazine's own public image. The editorial opens by acknowledging the publication's reputation for promoting "Wine, women and song" — a dissolute lifestyle — and announces a humorous self-reformation: they're closing their "Million dollar laboratory" to build a gymnasium and pursue physical fitness instead. The accompanying cartoons mock this supposed moral makeover through exaggerated etiquette humor. Labeled sketches show gentlemen in various states of dining mishap: spilling drinks ("Indian clubs!"), holding utensils incorrectly ("Elbow tipping!"), and generally botching table manners. The irony is clear: while Judge claims refined self-improvement, these illustrations depict the sophisticated reader as hopelessly clumsy and uncouth. The "Table Manners" section reinforces this—lecturing readers on proper fork and knife usage "for lads and lasses" who apparently need basic instruction. The joke targets Judge's own audience: wealthy, urbane New Yorkers who consider themselves cultured but are portrayed as socially inept buffoons.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ae Rn nanotech IMIG: Feeling just a little bit dis- turbed over our growing reputa- tion as a follower of “Wine, women and song” we have de- cided to desert Bacchus, Flo and and George Gershw nd become a real he-man with a clear eye and bulging biceps . . . the “Million dollar’ laboratory has been closed temporarily and hereafter all our spare time will be spent in our new Gymnasium +. + “Mac” has made a few sketches of it and you will readily see how perfectly appointed it is - . in order that the sudden change will not be too much of a shock, we h ve held on to several relies of the good old days— our which aid considerably in setting up exercises... we already become expert at the par- allel bars, and through the tipping the elbow exercise we have in- creased the fibia and tibia no end . « henceforth you may expect recipes with nothing stronger in them than malted milk, te apa—well, ginger ale then, « maybe a dash of vichy. —f We have also taken to staying home of nights and reading quiet- ly by the parlor lamp have quite a book review for our little readers ... the first volume we picked up was “Deep Enough,” by one Malcolm Ross . . . it is one of those tales wherein the j . thus we LWA Te ness of the great big glittering ity and goes out west where men are elemental—but stay! Here’s an original twist, by my Hali- dome! The jaded New Yorker tires also of the wild west and comes back to dear old Broadway, with the tale wagging behind him, and decides it’s a pretty good old place, after all! ... 1 next pe rused “Young ough to Know Better,” by Fairfax Downey, illustrated by Jefferson Fireman’s Hat Machamer, and really it is clever no end... for example, this little verse: Table Manners What to do forks knives That is nothing in your lives. You should know best, lads and lasses, ‘ How to handle all the glasses. (Continued on page 28) with and EvzoW HORIZONTAL PRS / comicbooks.com