Judge — May 12, 1928 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis **Top Cartoon:** Satirizes automobile accident statistics. The caption reads "There is one auto in America for every five people," but the illustration shows a chaotic collision where a car has struck multiple pedestrians and objects are flying everywhere. The joke inverts the statistic's reassuring intent—instead of suggesting cars are rare, the cartoon argues that with so many automobiles, accidents are inevitable and devastating. It's dark commentary on the dangers of rapid automobile adoption in early 20th-century America. **Bottom Cartoon:** Shows a parlor scene where a guest requests a pianist play "Comin' Through the Rye," a popular sentimental song. The satire likely mocks middlebrow musical taste or the tedious predictability of parlor entertainment among the upper classes—the guest's demand for this "old favorite" suggests clichéd, uninspired social gatherings.