A complete issue · 28 pages · 1918
Judge — January 5, 1918
# "Canned!" - Judge Magazine, January 5, 1918 This cartoon by Orson Lowell satirizes wartime labor disputes or military discipline. A soldier (left) appears to be placing a woman into a large barrel labeled "SLACK" — the title "CANNED!" playing on the double meaning of being fired from a job or imprisoned/confined. The woman wears a nurse's or factory worker's uniform with a distinctive white headpiece, suggesting she's a war-effort worker. The cartoon likely critiques women accused of shirking wartime duties or "slacking" — contemporary slang for avoiding work during WWI. The canning imagery suggests swift, decisive punishment for those deemed insufficiently committed to the war effort. The satirical point remains somewhat ambiguous without additional context.
# Analysis This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward **advertisement** for Nujol, a laxative product made by Standard Oil Company (New Jersey). The ad promotes Nujol as a remedy for constipation and related ailments like headaches and dizziness. The sales pitch claims that winter's "heavy food and little exercise" causes constipation, which leads to serious health problems. Nujol promises "healthy, adequate bowel functioning at regular intervals." The tagline "Regular as Clockwork" (shown with product bottles and a clock) uses wordplay to emphasize the product's regularity-promoting function. Pricing information indicates availability at drug stores or by mail order. This represents typical early-20th-century patent medicine advertising, before modern FDA regulations. The page contains no political content or satire.
# Farewell Demonstration at Yapp's Crossing This cartoon depicts a crowded civilian farewell demonstration as soldiers pass through Yapp's Crossing at high speed (60 miles per hour). The detailed scene shows townspeople gathered along the railway route—some waving from buildings, platforms, and street level—to bid goodbye to departing troops. The satire likely comments on the enthusiasm (or chaos) of public military send-offs during wartime. The exaggerated crowds and frantic activity suggest both genuine patriotic fervor and the disruption caused by troop movements through civilian areas. The specific reference to "60 miles an hour" emphasizes the speed at which soldiers pass, making the emotional farewell somewhat absurd—people frantically demonstrating for troops moving too quickly to properly acknowledge them. The exact historical context remains unclear without additional dating information.
