Judge — June 18, 1927 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This Judge magazine page contains two separate cartoons satirizing early automobile culture and road safety. The **top cartoon** mocks someone who volunteered to umpire a baseball game but gets struck by speeding cars and flying debris instead—suggesting reckless driving has invaded even leisurely activities. The **bottom cartoon** illustrates the hazards of living near a roadside house, referencing the popular poem "The House by the Side of the Road" (which romanticizes such a location). Here, the house is surrounded by crashed and careening automobiles, with cars colliding everywhere. The satire critiques the unintended consequences of 1920s-era automotive expansion: what once seemed idyllic became genuinely dangerous as car traffic increased dramatically and traffic safety remained poorly regulated. Both cartoons reflect contemporary anxiety about automobiles transforming American life unpredictably and violently.