Judge, 1928-08-18 · page 26 of 36
Judge — August 18, 1928 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces: **"Do Spark-Plugs Think?"** is a humorous essay questioning whether automobile spark plugs possess intelligence. The author describes receiving spark plugs as Christmas gifts from "Bella Follinsbee, the veteran veterinary editor of Judge," and claims they sprouted buds and allegedly spoke to him. The piece is absurdist satire—the joke relies on treating mechanical car parts as if they were living creatures capable of thought and speech, mocking pseudo-intellectual debates of the era about animal consciousness. **The two cartoons** appear to be unrelated society humor: one depicts "The absent-minded Mayor" opening a bathing beauty contest by literally tossing a woman into water, and another shows "The 'Escape Artist' makes good at the altar"—likely commenting on marriage as an inescapable fate. The page exemplifies Judge's style: light, whimsical satire aimed at urban middle-class readers, blending wordplay with illustration. Without a specific date visible, the exact historical context remains unclear, though the automotive references suggest early-to-mid 20th century.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Do Spark-Plugs Think? A meed of interest has been rife lately over tl question, “Do Sy Think?” Meeds h king quietly in the gloom of a cave like bats and then sudden rife that is almost ind, God knows, worse than a rife meed. I feel, consequently, that I ewe it toe my clienty to shed a important rk-Plugs a way of there is nothin little light over this engrossing problem, so that the next. time they are confronted by a house detective or somebody and asked this question, they will not turn searlet and try to sneak down the fire-escape in their pajamas. Up till last Xmas I aght with most people that + spark- plugs were dumb and did not have la jerdin d ma sur (the as the witty Frenchman Balzac termed it. But at Xmas time Bella Follinsbee, the veteran veterinary editor of power of speech Jepge, presented me with a cou- ple of young spark-plugs which she had picked up in Paris for asong. I believe the name of the song was “Iwas Down in the “The ‘Escape Artist’ makes good at the altar” JUDGE The absent-minded Mayor who opened the bathing beauty contest by tossing in the first beauty them in ab Can vou ment three de ticed that one of the spark-plugs (a female, by the way) had sprouted several small buds? Of s later, when 1 no course, Twas very much surpris d immediately called up Bella She, too, was very much sur prised, as it was then half after four in the morning, and—well as I say, she was very much sur tat first it was pom clerk calling. Anyhow, ve over first thing in’ the morning and we beth looked at the spark-plug. The more we kept looking at it, the more sprouted, until at last) it) (the spark-plug) was just crawling with them (the buds). Several days later 1 was comb: ing my beard in front of the mir ror (we Perelmans are constantly fussing with our beards) when I heard a sharp voice say: “Say. if Thad a pan like that. life I would want to go throug under « theties !" As I was alone in my apart- ment at the time, save for my Schnauzer and a man named Du- rante, who had been tongue-tied comicbooks.com