Judge, 1927-07-30 · page 8 of 36
Judge — July 30, 1927 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Judging the Stars": John Roach Straton This is a satirical piece about **John Roach Straton**, a real New York fundamentalist minister known for fiery sermons and public moralizing. The cartoon caricatures him with exaggerated features—prominent nose, glasses—emphasizing his stern demeanor. The satire targets Straton's theatrical preaching style. Author Gonzalez describes attending his church service, observing the theatrical elements: collection plates, emotional hymn-singing, the "show" atmosphere. The title "Sermon to a Kidding Public" suggests Straton himself is the subject of mockery—that his religious performances are somewhat performative or insincere. The joke appears to be that while Straton judges others' morality from the pulpit, the magazine is "judging" (evaluating/mocking) him. The stern woman glaring at the caricaturist drawing in church adds another layer: religious authority figures policing secular observation of their domain. This reflects 1920s-era criticism of fundamentalist preachers' celebrity and showmanship.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE NIDGING te STARE by Mauro Gonzalez JOHN ROACH STRATON SERMON TO A KIDDING PUBLIC Brethren of Mirth—wouldst lend an ear to a reverent kidder? ‘Thine honored editor hath bade this erring disciple to go forth and fetch grotesqueries from a temple. Thine humble servant doth obey. Wouldst bear with me whilst this narrative I relate? Righto! Here goes! * * * * John Roach Straton wearing a soft panama mistakes me for a parishioner. Huh! He shakes hands amiably. “How do you do, sir?” I nod. His secretary has already refused me a sitting. So I walk into an outer chapel. A youth preaches from a massive Bible. A hymn, The collection plate... I put in my fs The customers tell how they found this and the other. Most of them end in tears. Eureka! They have found something. Two girls rise to sing a holy duo. The choir singer in blue sings soulfully, perchance religiously. Now I enter the big auditorium. Here’s the main event. John Roach Straton sits on the pulpit platform. Gentry of the press and I sit in the first row of this show. Behind me is a stern eyed woman of brass faith. She scans he who dares to draw funny pictures in a temple. A caricaturist facing the pulpit must seem to (Continued on page 28) comicbooks.com