Judge, 1930-10-04 · page 13 of 36
Judge — October 4, 1930 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page contains three distinct satirical pieces: **"Say It With Rubber"** (main story): Four chemists at Menlo Park's synthetic rubber laboratory absurdly brainstorm rubber substitutes using plants like ragweed, goldenrod, and dandelions. The humor mocks the era's frantic search for synthetic rubber alternatives—likely referencing wartime or economic pressures to find substitutes for natural rubber. The joke escalates through increasingly ridiculous scenarios (rubber boots growing in fields, baby pants nodding in sunlight, toy balloon crops). **Top cartoon**: A baseball player and friend perform an exaggerated backing-up maneuver, captioned about one "backing up his friend"—a visual pun on the phrase. **Two small cartoons on right**: One shows a woman upset she "oughta have slapped him," and another depicts a man complaining he "really wanted a stenographer"—likely domestic humor about hiring or relationship expectations. **Poem by Margaret Fishback** addresses the modest life's compensations when one cannot afford servants or cars but must endure three-year lease agreements.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE Department of the Interior | I Am not rich. I can't afford A full tin But there are compensations just servant or a Ford, The same, and even though I must Be indigent to dodge the clutch Of decorators, that's not much To suffer for the sake of peace When I must sign a three-year lease. —Maroarer Fisunack The visiting baseball player backs up his friend. | Say It With Rubber By Jack Cluett sour solemn, elderly chemists wearing the conventional white jackets of their profession, sa ble table in the Synthetic Rubber Laboratory at Menlo Park. In the center of the table stood several stalks of goldenrod in 1 flower pot. The chief chemist donned a pair of rubber gloves, lita Bunsen burner and said: Gentlemen, with a little more patience, I think we will have found a true substitute for rubber.” The second chemist said: “I have just distilled a bushel of ragweed and I think I have found something to take the place of the umbrella I lost last spring !” “ZL stumbled on a formula for wz automobile tires from -unflowers, but I had to give up the idea because it made me sneeze every time I had a puncture,” said the third chemist. The fourth chemist replied: “I don't blame you. Every ime you hit a bump your eyes would water.” ot only that,” continued the chief, “but your spare tire vould nod its head when the sun went down,” . The second chemist said: “Just “My gawd! I oughta have slapped him!” think -of the future of goldenrod if ve're successful! Why, it'll be noth- 1g to go out into a field and pick vourself a bunch of rubber boots.” “Or get mixed up and have hem leak because the soles were made it of dandelions by mistake,” added © third chemist. The fourth chemist added: “No ere dandelion wine, fellows. —In- tead of distilling it we'll be making around an acid-stained mar- i istic bands and garden hose out y f it.” | The chief said: “Just think: Baby's 4 rubber pants will one day be nodding { n the sun in a field of wildflowers.” “And the next thing you know, hanging on the clothesline dry dded the second chemist, ig a guinea pig with a medicine drop- per. The second chemist said: “If we ure very careful we may be able to cultivate a field of toy balloons. Only when the field goes to seed it will look like a Yale- (Continued on page 32) “Well, I really wanted a stenographer.” | 1 comicbooks.com