Judge — January 10, 1920

# Analysis This is a **Bevo advertisement, not satirical content**. Bevo was a soft drink manufactured by Anheuser-Busch (St. Louis) marketed as a wholesome, non-alcoholic alternative—likely introduced during Prohibition or as a temperance option. The ad targets affluent men: businessmen, professionals, and athletes (golfers, bowlers, tennis players, shooters, riders). It emphasizes year-round refreshment, health benefits, and physical training. The decorative border features sporting and leisure imagery. There is **no political satire or cartoon** on this page—it's purely commercial advertising. The historical interest lies in how Anheuser-Busch pivoted from beer to soft drinks during the temperance era, and how marketing pitched non-alcoholic beverages to masculine, athletic audiences.

# Judge Magazine, January 19, 1920 This illustration satirizes shoe shopping and poor customer service. The cartoon shows a shoe salesman asking a female customer "How does that feel?" after fitting her with what appears to be an uncomfortably tight shoe. Her deadpan response—"Try a size smaller. I can bear a lot more pain than that"—is the joke's punchline. The satire targets the shoe salesman's indifference to customer comfort and perhaps broader commentary on 1920s retail practices or gender dynamics. The woman's sarcastic willingness to endure pain suggests resignation to poor service or, possibly, satirizes contemporary attitudes about women's fashion and the physical discomfort they accepted for style. The cartoon's humor relies on the absurdity of recommending a *smaller* shoe to someone already in pain.

# "Making a Name for Himself" This sketch depicts two figures: a woman in a wedding dress on the left and a man in formal attire on the right, both looking upward with concerned expressions. The title "Making a Name for Himself" suggests social satire about ambition and reputation. The cartoon likely satirizes a common concern of the era: a man gaining prominence or notoriety through marriage rather than merit. The woman's uncertain gaze and the man's determined expression suggest tension between personal desire and social climbing. The phrase "making a name" could reference either gaining respectability through marriage or, conversely, acquiring notoriety. Without additional historical context, the specific individuals or event remain unclear, but the satire targets matrimonial ambition and social aspiration common to Gilded Age comedy.

# Analysis This page combines an illustration with an article titled "Making Your Flivver Work for You" by William P. Sherman. "Flivver" was slang for the Model T Ford, the mass-produced automobile that revolutionized American transportation. The illustration depicts a man and woman with various automotive parts and contraptions, humorously representing DIY efficiency modifications. The article describes practical (if somewhat humorous) attempts to improve fuel economy through carburetor modifications, tire changes, and thermostat adjustments—achieving savings of 10-45 percent on gasoline. This reflects post-WWI America's automotive culture and practical ingenuity during an era when car ownership was becoming widespread but gas consumption remained a genuine concern for average owners. The satire gently mocks the period's obsession with efficiency and mechanical tinkering.

# Explanation for Modern Readers This 1920s Judge magazine page satirizes labor organizing through two cartoons: **"Just Another Union"** mocks the "Amalgamated Association of Female Sweethearts"—a fictional parody of labor unions. The cartoon ridicules union demands by applying them absurdly to dating: mandatory time clocks for courtship, overtime pay for kisses, bonus candy boxes as "wages," and three-month notice before switching boyfriends. The satire targets real labor movements of the era (likely the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, a major union). The joke suggests unions are unreasonable and emasculating, turning romantic relationships into contractual transactions. **"Oh, Those Profiteers!"** criticizes wartime/postwar profiteering. Two contractors built from identical materials, but one's building collapsed while the other stands firm—because the profiteer cut corners on materials but *papered over* the defects to hide them. The cartoon attacks dishonest contractors who exploit scarcity and regulations for profit while deceiving customers. Both cartoons reflect post-WWI anxiety about labor power, corporate dishonesty, and economic chaos.

# "Pity the Sorrows of a Poor Old Man" This political cartoon page uses multiple vignettes to satirize economic hardship and social inequality. The top section, "On Uncle Sam's Farm," depicts poverty and instability ("Wild Cat Stock"). "The Latest Hold Up" shows armed robbery or economic predation. "His Shield" features the U.S. seal as inadequate protection. "Oh! The Poor Men" caricatures miners and operators as bloated figures, likely referencing labor disputes and wealth disparity during industrial conflict. "As We See It" shows a lion (Britain) towering over a small figure, possibly commenting on international economic or imperial relations. Overall, the page critiques American economic conditions, labor exploitation, and the disparity between rich and poor—typical Judge magazine social commentary from the Progressive era.

# "For His Mother's Sake" - Judge Magazine Story This page presents a sentimental short story by Sophie Louise Wenzel accompanying two illustrations. The narrative depicts a social-issue theme common to early 20th-century literature: a tramp (homeless wanderer) appeals to a well-to-do woman for food. The story's "twist" relies on period attitudes toward poverty and charity. The Lady initially dismisses the tramp as lazy and a beggar, refusing him harshly. However, when he invokes his mother—claiming he seeks the food "for his mother's sake"—her stern demeanor softens. She provides him a meal and hot cider. The satire is gentle rather than biting: it critiques how the wealthy rationalize selective charity, showing that emotional appeals ("mother") succeed where direct need fails. The tramp's calculated invocation of motherhood manipulates the Lady's sentimentality, exposing the arbitrary nature of her charitable impulses. The story suggests that genuine need matters less than the *narrative frame* through which need is presented.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains three satirical pieces reflecting early 20th-century American concerns: **"The Mysterious Pirate"** (center) uses "H.C.L." as a personified villain representing the "High Cost of Living"—a major economic anxiety of the era. The satire lists how different social groups experience inflation: wealthy spendthrifts, taxpayers, families, and those concerned about Bolshevism all blame this abstract "monster." The call for a "new Hercules" suggests readers felt helpless against rising prices. **"The New Cognomen"** (bottom) references Dr. Voronoff's controversial 1920s gland-transplant experiments promising youth restoration. The joke: elderly people are now called "gland-parents"—a pun on "grandparents," mocking the pseudo-scientific fad. **Top story** depicts a con artist's exploitation of rural kindness: a wealthy man wins a bet by manipulating a woman's generosity, then boasts of "working" her. His wife's cryptic response suggests she's discovered his infidelity or deception—dark humor about male hypocrisy.

# "The Late Year" by Walt Mason (1919) This is a reflective essay-cartoon hybrid from Judge magazine dismissing the previous year—apparently 1919, the year after World War I ended—as a disappointment. **The Satire:** The piece mocks public optimism about 1919. Citizens and "wise prophetic skate[s]" (fools) believed peace would restore normalcy: workers would labor contentedly, carpenters wouldn't demand wages, and even class conflict would vanish ("the plutocrat would fold his arms / about the humble toiler"). **What Actually Happened:** Instead, 1919 was chaotic—marked by labor unrest, social upheaval, and continued instability. The cartoon's central illustration shows figures tumbling around a dark globe amid chaos, symbolizing a world "went looney" and "dippy." **For Modern Readers:** This captures post-WWI disillusionment. Despite war's end, society didn't magically heal. The text's folk-humor tone—"all cold and freezin'" and references to "Annie Rooney"—reflects popular sentiment that idealistic hopes collided with harsh reality. The cartoon essentially asks: "We thought peace solved everything. Why didn't it?"

# Understanding Judge Magazine's "Post Card Probloid No. 5" This page from Judge presents humorous short sketches and a reader-participation contest. The cartoons mock social situations: **"Saving"** satirizes rationalization—a man justifies eating spoiled fish to avoid waste, then needs a doctor. **"Another Kind of a Dog"** plays on literary pretension. A woman misunderstands the phrase "like Hamlet with the great Dane left out" (meaning omitting important elements) and humorously applies it to a real dog, creating absurdist humor about misapplied education. **"Too Late"** uses melodramatic language to describe a woman's perfection—"moonlight over an Italian lake," poetic lips—then the punchline: she married someone else, so the narrator's appreciation arrives too late. **"Diplomacy"** illustrates social etiquette: a woman can't wear her new hat without offending a friend whose maid has an identical one. The **Probloid** is Gelett Burgess's interactive feature inviting readers to solve a social dilemma in ten words—here, how to handle a friend kissing your wife. Judges award prizes, positioning readers as participants in Judge's humor.

# Analysis: Judge Magazine, 1952 Page This page contains several satirical pieces reflecting 1950s American culture: **"Annus Mirabilis: 1952"** is a futuristic fantasy listing absurd technological and cosmic achievements (winged transatlantic flight, undersea resorts, talking to vegetables, Mars joining the League of Planets). It's whimsical social commentary on post-WWII optimism and technological utopianism. **"The Horse Lost Ten Pounds"** (left cartoon) shows a well-dressed man at a weighing scale—likely satirizing America's emerging health-consciousness and weight-obsession culture in the prosperous 1950s. **"Other Goose Rhymes"** parodies nursery rhymes with contemporary references, including one mocking alcohol consumption ("Where'd you get your liquor, John?"). **"An Automobile Ad-Writer Announces a Forthcoming Debutante"** satirizes absurdly overwrought advertising language by describing a young woman's "debut" into marriage using automotive sales-speak—critiquing both commercial excess and women being treated as commodities in the marriage market.