Judge, 1928-05-19 · page 14 of 36
Judge — May 19, 1928 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is the opening installment of a serialized satirical biography illustrated by James Trembath. The piece ridicules Noah (the biblical patriarch) as an obstinate old man obsessed with an irrational premonition of rain. His wife mocks him for predicting rain when the sky is clear ("Not a cloud in the sky"). Neighborhood children taunt him mercilessly as he builds a boat in his apartment, calling him "Old Man Noah." Adults join in the mockery, with a boy named Shamus challenging him aggressively. The satire appears to target blind faith, stubbornness, and social isolation. Noah's warnings go unheeded because nobody believes him—a setup that anticipates the biblical flood narrative, though the humor here comes from portraying him as a cranky, delusional figure rather than a prophet. The piece mocks both Noah's persistence and society's cruel dismissal of him as mad.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Biography Illustrated by James Trembath I. ” cries N his angry. He has becom He is getting dressed in his pate costume. He cannot find his umbrella, He is very angry. tere is my utmbrel 0: ks. “DT cannot “L cannot find my umbre . dressed, It is find him. [am angry going to rain. Fraulein Noah, Noah's wife, is also angry and ge She is in another room. In fact, she is in But she hears Noah. Everybody hears him. He is the patriarch. He talks too loud The fraulein looks over her shoulder ‘proudly. “Rain?” she yells. “I'm laughing to you Not a cloud in the sky—and you talk of rain yet. Pipe down,” says the beautiful fraulein. Fourti Crussman—So you've sworn off drinking? Everybody is laughing at Noah. “Old Man Noah, the children call him, He is building a boat. All by himself in his apartment he is building an enormous “Build boats,” exhorts old man Noah, the patriarch. : ybody build be It's going to rain.” m the children, “Rain— h gocs on hammering and what a c in his beard. mumbling n the children tire of the cruel sport. “Stop baiting the cid codger,” says onc, a leader among his fellows. “Bait something else.” “LL bait you to yonder post,” challenges Shamus, the son of O'Neill the son of Shabbah. And the children run off. Il. Everybody has deserted Noah. Some have abandoned him. Others have left him. There is no one around. comicbooks.com