Judge — December 17, 1927 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon about a college freshman caught reading *College Humor* magazine. The joke relies on the contrast between the serious, formal setting and the frivolous activity. The scene shows the freshman sitting alone in a forest clearing, absorbed in reading *College Humor*—depicted as an undignified, lowbrow publication. Above and around him, numerous stern-faced men (likely professors, administrators, or authority figures) observe from the trees, looking down disapprovingly. One figure even hangs from a branch above. The satire targets college freshmen for their naïveté and poor taste in entertainment, while also mocking the pretentious judgment of academic institutions. The title "Studies in the Naive" suggests this is part of a series examining foolish college behavior. The humor comes from depicting a student's innocent magazine reading as something worthy of widespread condemnation and surveillance.