Judge, 1927-10-08 · page 9 of 36
Judge — October 8, 1927 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge Magazine Satire Analysis This page contains two distinct satirical pieces targeting early 1920s American anxieties. **Top cartoon ("Judge"):** A husband explains a "misunderstanding" to his wife—he accidentally revealed secret fraternal organization passwords and grips (Knights of Columbus, B'nai B'rith) to a doorkeeper at a Ku Klux Klan meeting. The satire mocks the era's proliferation of secretive fraternal lodges and their paranoid exclusivity, while implicitly critiquing the KKK's nativism by showing its members might inadvertently admit Catholic and Jewish members. **"Natural History" section:** A schoolteacher's naturalistic lessons devolve into absurdist non-sequiturs—an elk drinking "needle beer," owls playing poker in funny hats, inability to see daytime. The satire ridicules both pedantic educational approaches and the era's Prohibition-era anxieties (references to beer drinking). The casual ethnic name-dropping ("Antonio") reflects period attitudes. Both pieces reflect 1920s concerns: secret societies, religious/ethnic tensions, and Prohibition.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE Jowwen—Just a little misunderstanding, my dear. _ NATURAL HISTORY Now, Oswald, what bird is very, very wise? Well, what a And now, children, put away ur Trigonometry books ¢ acher will ask ques- owl, isn’t it you some tions about the little furry erea- tures that live’ in the big woods. Now who can’ tell what animal wears its teeth on a chain and drinks needle beer. That’s right, Horace, an elk. Some day teacher will tell you the story of the elk who couldn't drink beer, but that’s a long story and teacher has a date. me Very cautious member of secret lodge, who gags himself before going to sleep. I gave the Knights of Columbus password and the B’nai B'rith grip to the doorkeeper at a Ku Klux Klan meeting. little thick-wit you are! It’s an Bernice? An owl goes out every evening and plays poker in a red and blue hat with a tassel on the top. And what’s funny about an owl’s eyes? That’s right, Philip, he can’t see very well in the day time. And do you kiddies know why? Of course, you do! Now spit that gum out, An- tonio, and tell teacher what ani- mal is the king of (Continued on page 26) comicbooks.com