Judge — December 20, 1919

# Analysis This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Prince Albert tobacco as an ideal Christmas gift, using humor to address social awkwardness rather than making political commentary. The ad jokes that giving cigarettes solves the problem of gift-giving anxiety—a man won't feel "low-on-luck" on Christmas morning if he receives Prince Albert. The copy emphasizes the product's appeal: it can be smoked in a pipe, has no throat-irritation due to a "patented process," and provides "thirty-six smoke-hours" of enjoyment. The imagery shows the product prominently displayed as a wrapped gift. The satire here is gentle social commentary about masculine gift-giving and comfort, not political commentary. This reflects early 20th-century advertising norms when cigarettes were marketed as desirable, respectable consumer goods with no health warnings.

# "The Call of the Wild" - Judge Magazine, December 20, 1919 This cartoon by Waiter de Maris depicts four well-dressed urbanites on a city street, seemingly responding to an irresistible impulse. The title "The Call of the Wild" suggests they're experiencing a primal urge despite their refined appearance and formal attire. The specific meaning is unclear without additional context, but the satire likely mocks a contemporary social trend—possibly Prohibition-era characters seeking illegal alcohol, or perhaps urban dwellers succumbing to some fashionable fad or vice. The contrast between their genteel presentation and their apparent compulsion to heed "the wild" suggests the cartoon critiques either hypocrisy or the irresistible appeal of forbidden behavior among respectable society.

# "Tobacco—The Lubricant of the Mind" This satirical drawing by Ames MacDowell depicts tobacco smoke literally elevating various human figures upward. The cartoon uses the metaphor of smoke as a "lubricant" to mock the popular belief that tobacco enhanced mental function and creativity. The figures appear to represent different social types—scholars, gentlemen, and laborers—all being lifted or influenced by tobacco's effects. The artist presents this ironically: rather than showing intellectual enlightenment, the rising figures suggest intoxication or delusion. This likely critiques the 19th-century cultural practice of romanticizing tobacco use as mentally stimulating, when the cartoon suggests it merely produces smokiness and elevation without genuine intellectual benefit. The satire targets both tobacco promotion and the gullibility of those who believed such claims.

# Explanation for Modern Readers The cartoon depicts Santa Claus carrying a child, heading toward a house—illustrating the caption about Santa agreeing "to do a little favor for old 'Doc Stork'" during a house visit. This is a dated euphemism: "Doc Stork" refers to the stork delivering babies, so the joke plays on Santa as an accomplice in childbirth or fertility matters. The article below, "Letters to the New Rulers of the World" by Stephen Leacock, is a satirical piece addressed to plumbers. The first letter complains about a plumber's poor service and high-handedness, sarcastically suggesting plumbers now wield such power they're like rulers. The satire mocks how essential tradespeople had become—or how they acted superior to their employers. This reflects early 20th-century class tensions and the growing power of organized labor.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page The main illustration depicts **anthropomorphic birds (likely roosters or similar fowl) near plumbing fixtures**, drawn by Cesare Mazzoni. The accompanying text discusses plumbing and furnace mechanics, suggesting this is satirical commentary on the **plumbing industry or household management**. The caption references "moral conditions" discovered in plumbing work, implying plumbers encounter unsavory domestic situations. This appears to be **social satire about what service workers observe in homes**—a common Judge magazine theme mocking middle-class pretensions. Below are unrelated pieces: Stephen Leacock's letter about industrial concerns and Harvey Peake's humorous article about forgettable days, listing mundane 1919-1920 life events (tax day, daughter's marriage, doctor visits). These represent typical magazine miscellany rather than unified editorial content.

# Analysis for Modern Readers **"Winter" by Chet Shafer** is a humorous essay about seasonal hardships, with comedic observations about cold weather's effects: frozen ponds, radiator troubles, bill collectors braving "icy blasts," and women bundling ankles in gaiters. The humor relies on everyday winter annoyances familiar to 1920s readers. **"Those Snap-shots of Baby"** (illustrated by Don Herold) appears to be a joke about baby photography—the drawing shows parents displaying infant photos. **"A White Xmas"** depicts a woman surrounded by holiday shopping chaos and packages—satirizing consumer excess during Christmas season. **"Poor Boy"** jokes about class: a wealthy father leaves his son "a million dollars" but none of his positive qualities (handsomeness, brains). **"The Danger"** satirizes opposition to government railroad ownership, suggesting critics value railroad advertisements more than public benefit—a dig at capitalism prioritizing commercialism over social good. This reflects 1920s debates over government regulation.

# Political Cartoon Analysis This Judge magazine page satirizes anti-Bolshevik sentiment during the Red Scare era (likely 1918-1920s). The central concept frames Bolshevism through "Four R's": Red, Ruin, Russian, and Radicalism. The cartoons depict Bolshevism as a threatening foreign menace. Top panels show Russia "poisoning" the world and a demonic figure spreading destruction. The bottom panels illustrate American responses: cowboys ("Yankee Doodle") lassoing Bolshevism, and the American Legion violently suppressing it ("Human Cootie"). The satire supports aggressive anti-communist action, portraying Bolshevism as an external plague requiring military-style containment. The caricatures emphasize the foreign/alien nature of the threat, while celebrating American institutions (military, Legion) as protectors against radicalism. This reflects mainstream American Cold War anxiety preceding the actual Cold War.

# Political Context: "The Ultimate" by William Wallace Whitelock This satirical story depicts a dystopian "Workless Age" where automation has eliminated all jobs. The narrative follows the "Last Workman," who discovers that society has collapsed into complete dependency on mechanical systems and cooperative institutions. The satire targets early 20th-century anxieties about technological unemployment and socialist organization. When the workman seeks leisure at various public facilities (amusement park, cooperative kitchen, recreation center), all are closed—suggesting that without workers, even utopian collective systems fail. The climax—where even firearms refuse to function—represents total societal breakdown. The humor is dark: the former capitalist chauffeur and workman are equally helpless. The story mocks both fears of automation eliminating human purpose and optimism about socialist alternatives, suggesting neither system accounts for human agency or survival needs. The upper cartoons show domestic dining scenes, likely contrasting pre- and post-work social arrangements, though the specific joke requires clearer resolution.

# Explanation for Modern Readers This 1919 *Judge* magazine page satirizes American men's dependence on borrowing matches—a social habit the author treats as absurdly symptomatic of national character decline. **The Main Satire:** The article "The Curse of Matchlessness" mocks how ordinary men will shamelessly approach strangers (even diplomats or royalty) to beg for a match, yet cigars of the era constantly went out, creating perpetual need. The satire suggests this reflects broader moral weakness: Americans are becoming a "nation of chewers" rather than smokers because they won't carry matches. **The Illustrations:** The top cartoon shows Santa Claus with children, captioned about putting "this heart" in a stocking—likely part of a separate holiday piece. The lower drawing depicts a casual street or park scene with multiple figures. **The Point:** This is gentle social mockery of masculine etiquette and planning failures, treating a mundane inconvenience as emblematic of national character—typical of *Judge*'s satirical approach to everyday American life.

# "More High Costs" by Walt Mason This is a humorous essay-cartoon about the tension between health advice and economic reality during an era of rising living costs (likely early 20th century). **The Setup:** A portly man sits relaxed while three well-dressed figures (appearing to be doctors or health advisors) gesture frantically at him, holding what looks like a diet book or health guide. **The Satire:** Mason mocks physicians who demand he eat cheaply—beans, cabbage, lentils—while avoiding expensive meats and rich foods. The narrator sarcastically argues that achieving health through frugal dieting is economically unreasonable. His logic: maintaining health requires expensive exercise equipment, doctor visits, and gym memberships, making the total cost prohibitive. He concludes it's cheaper to simply die than pursue health. **The Point:** This satirizes the growing cost-of-living crisis and exposes how health advice ignores economic realities for working people. The cartoon critiques doctors for prescribing remedies only the wealthy can afford, while the poor face impossible choices between health and financial survival.

# Judge Magazine: "Post Card Probloid No. 2" This page presents a humorous contest where readers submit witty film subtitles. The winning entry describes a scene with **Lloyd George** (British Prime Minister), **Mary Pickford** (silent film star), and **Charlie Chaplin**—all major celebrities of the era—in an absurdist Arizona scenario involving a faro hall and a dance. The joke relies on contemporary fame: Pickford was cinema's biggest star; Chaplin was the iconic "Tramp" character; Lloyd George was a newsworthy political figure. The subtitle's absurdity (using a curl as a keepsake, the random Arizona setting) parodies overwrought silent-film melodrama. Other submitted entries reference W.J. Bryan (politician) and Rosalie (likely a contemporary song). The "Probloid" format invites readers to solve impossible tasks humorously—reflecting post-WWI American culture's wit and the magazine's satirical approach to celebrity and popular entertainment.

# Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page contains two distinct pieces: **Upper section:** A "Problemoidarians" contest discussing clever wordplay submissions about various performers (Lloyd, Korninsky, etc.). The satire mocks Prohibition-era humor—suggesting that people struggling under Prohibition and high cost-of-living ("H.C. of Living") have become a "merry crowd" making jokes, though they're "too far-fetched." The jab at "picture post cards" suggests cheap, mass-produced humor. **Lower section:** "A Flight and a Sight" is a humorous short story illustrated by Agnes May Donald. A burglar breaks in to steal silverware but flees when three loud explosions occur—caused by homebrewed alcohol bottles exploding on a shelf. The joke: Prohibition-era illegal "Home Brew" inadvertently foils the burglary. The accompanying cartoon "Chopping Him Off" depicts a gloomy man refusing to participate in a guessing game without a prize—mild social satire on penny-pinching during economically difficult times. Both pieces use Prohibition and economic hardship as comedic backdrops.