Judge, 1927-07-16 · page 38 of 40
Judge — July 16, 1927 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains reader letters and one cartoon addressing **Prohibition-era social tensions**. The main cartoon depicts a pedestrian asking a police officer whether he must cross at a marked crosswalk to reach a bank "a little further down." The joke's dark humor references **Prohibition enforcement**: the pedestrian is likely implying he wants to avoid crossing near the marked location because it may indicate where illegal alcohol sales occur or police conduct raids. The "Please Cross Here" sign becomes ironic—the safer, legal route is exactly where trouble happens. The letters above discuss "Henry Sherman," an apparent recurring letter-writer promoting teetotalism. Readers debate whether Sherman is real or a fabricated character created by Judge's editors to generate humorous outrage. One correspondent mockingly suggests Sherman should join the magazine's staff, praising his "naive humor." The content satirizes **Prohibition's societal absurdity**: how the law created criminal activity, police corruption, and the surreal situations ordinary citizens navigated during the 1920s-era "noble experiment."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Prohibition. nd therefore we—being r than the Creator of must add an el forget the ot all our ti ards the venth comm ——= ten and ? t I ‘ I thara—or I . n N , ‘ Another Appreciation ; Dear Jvosx: ; Thanks no end f c r | ter from Henry Sh . of Sai s ns Barbara, Californi. ur Turkish Buckeye, The fellow is funnier than woman he bh Henry sings the old song, t touch liquor shall never touch mine.” I can appreciate his reaction from a father who was habitually soused; all extremes are reprehensible. B: why, Henry, go to the opposite ex- To Henry, it would seem, no god but “wawa,” and Volstead is his prophet. Yours for Al Smith, Memphis, Tenn. | June 4, 1927 | | Skeptical Editor Jvver: I notice in the “Judge for Yourself” department of your ma i | of June 4th, another 1 one “Hen ; | | bara, C: | M I inquire if these communica- | tions are REAL? Or are they merely | written by a member of the staff to ] draw down comment (which they | | seem to do, all right)? Sincerely, I | do not believe there is any sane man ! who would make such an utter ass | of himself in print as “Henry Sher- man” does. | Yours very truly, Louis L. Richardson Medford, Ore. June 3, 1927 A Good Joke Editor Juve: Ouch, my side! I have laughed myself into slow decline over the joke in your June 4th number. By’ the joke, I refer to a letter written you by one Henry Sherman, of Santa Barbara, California. This ought to take first prize and you ought to put Dear Orv Tuinc—Must I cross here, Constable? I wanted him on your regular staff; such naive to go to my bank a little further down on this side. humor is rare. —Hvenoristr EDWARD LANGER PRINTING CO., INC., JAMAICA, N.Y. comicbooks.com