Judge, 1931-04-25 · page 8 of 36
Judge — April 25, 1931 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page: "Russia: A Summary" This 1930s satirical piece mocks Soviet communism through crude caricatures. The text criticizes Russian convicts for laboring on industrial projects while American workers write for magazines like *American Mercury*. The cartoons ridicule Soviet society: one depicts children being indoctrinated ("If you don't be a good boy, some day you'll be President"), another shows farmers resenting Moscow's grain seizures, and a third illustrates "Baiting the Cops"—a supposed game where Communists attack police. The article dismisses the Five-Year Plan as doomed to fail, mocking the idea that people like "Mr. Hoover" would actually cooperate with Soviet ambitions. The satire reflects American anti-communist sentiment and Cold War anxieties of the era.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE RUSSIA : A SUMMARY Is 1917 the Russians overthrew the Romanoff monarchy and established a Communist government. This Communist government is now engaged in the Five- Year plan. A plan that is very annoying to our Govern- ment because the Russians are using convict labor to make machinery, steel and things like that. Russian convicts do not have much fun and usually end up by committing suicide or writing two-volume novels. Our convicts, on the other hand, work in chain gangs, which is practically no labor, and write for the American Mercury, which is Wire—Be careful now—remember the little worms can feel and think just as well as you can. “De chief is got delusions. He Vinks de cops is after him!” . besides in 18 “If you don't be a good boy, some day you'll be President.” child's play. Another part of the Russian plan is the clim- imation of the Church. This is very annoying to our Statesmen: in this country nobody goes to churches so it would be mean to eliminate them: Russians, on the other hand, like to go to church and so it becomes a dirty trick to burn their cathedrals. However, Methodist mission- aries are now going to Russia, so it will not be long before nobody will want to go to church. ie Russians do not play any because that would be Capitalistic. The Communists in this country, however, play a game called Baiting the Cops. In this game, a Communist makes faces at a cop until he is hit over the head. The man who gets th licks without having his brains knocked out gets a red star on his report card which is sent out from Moscow each month. ames or crack any jokes Soviet Russians have no sense of humor. That is one reason our Government will not recognize them. As an example: when our farmers are unhappy their Congress- n send them seed catalogues and copies of the Congres al Record, which amuses everybody except the farmer However, Soviet officials take a farmer seriously and when he is unhappy they loan him money and machinery. If the farmer still complains after that he is taken out and shot, which is one reason the Russians enjoy their work so much, we Five-Year Plan will be finished in 1 knows what will happen after that but it great surprise and very annoying if the Five-Y works, because if it does people like Mr. Hoover and Mr. Schwab will be taken out and shot. As this is a silly idea nobody seriously believes that the Plan will work and 2 we're going to be too busy getting ready for Prosperity to bother with the Russians and it will be very foolish for them to try to bother us. Nobody comicbooks.com