Judge, 1928-03-17 · page 19 of 36
Judge — March 17, 1928 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page by Dr. Seuss satirizes Prohibition-era New York City speakeasies (illegal bars) operating on the West Side, using elephants as stand-ins for intoxicated patrons. The cartoons depict elephants in various states of inebriation—rolling on roller skates, being carried by men in top hats, and generally behaving uncontrollably. The humor plays on the elephant as a symbol of both weight/bulk and uncontrollable behavior when drunk. "A Petition!" mocks subway officials' concerns about transporting these drunken "pachyderms," arguing it's impossible to move such unwieldy creatures through turnstiles while intoxicated—a commentary on the chaos and absurdity of Prohibition enforcement and speakeasy culture. The text jokes about determining when an elephant has had enough to drink, satirizing how openly speakeasies flouted alcohol restrictions. The overall message critiques the failure of Prohibition and the rampant illegal drinking in Manhattan.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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