Judge — November 13, 1920

# Analysis This page is primarily **advertising, not satire or editorial content**. It's an advertisement for Leslie's Illustrated Weekly Newspaper's new "Ask Leslie's" information bureau service. The ad explains that Leslie's is launching a research department to answer reader questions on any topic—from technical manufacturing questions to laboratory expertise to specialized fields. The service promises quick, accurate information compiled by trained experts, positioning it as a money-saving benefit that justifies the magazine's subscription cost. The decorative border elements featuring "50" repeated are styling flourishes typical of period advertisements. There are sample reader questions listed on the left, but these are illustrative examples, not satire. This represents early 20th-century magazine marketing emphasizing customer service and research capabilities.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Cover (November 15, 1920) This is the cover of Judge magazine's "Happy Medium" issue from November 15, 1920. The central illustration, credited to F. Foster Lincoln, depicts "The New Member's First Impression of the Woman's Club." The cartoon satirizes women's club culture by showing a new female member entering an established group. The scene appears crowded and chaotic, with numerous women in elaborate hats and period clothing. The satire likely targets the pretentiousness, social hierarchies, or gossipy nature of exclusive women's organizations that were prominent in early 20th-century American society. The exaggerated expressions and densely packed composition emphasize the overwhelming or superficial nature of such social institutions.

# "Conservation" - Political Cartoon Analysis This cartoon, drawn by C.W. Anderson, depicts children at a weighing scale labeled "ONE CENT" (likely a public health checkup station). The title "Conservation" is ironic commentary on Progressive Era conservation policy. The satire appears to target government efforts to "conserve" public resources or health while children appear impoverished or malnourished—evident from their thin builds and worn clothing. The scale suggests measurement/monitoring of welfare, but the shabby surroundings and the children's condition suggest these conservation programs fail to actually improve citizens' lives. The cartoon critiques the gap between Progressive rhetoric about conservation and public welfare versus the actual lived experiences of poor urban children, implying government policies are ineffective or hypocritical.

# Analysis This page contains a short story titled "Ads Is Ads" by Ellis Parker Butler, not a political cartoon. The illustration at the top is a humorous vignette accompanying the fiction. The story concerns Mrs. Anna Louisa Bullock, a respectable married lady cast away on a desert island in the Pacific Ocean in 1906 with her portable house and possessions. The narrative satirizes the absurdity of her situation—that despite being marooned, she maintains her refined lifestyle, complete with fashionable clothes, servants' quarters, and abundant provisions. The cartoon above illustrates the story's premise: the rotund Mrs. Bullock and her improbably well-stocked household goods, alongside elegantly-dressed figures, emphasizing the comedy of civilized pretension in an uncivilized setting.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains a short story titled "A Doughnut" illustrated by Robert Lemos, centered on Mrs. Bullock, stranded on a Pacific island after her husband's ship was lost at sea in 1920. The lower cartoon by T.S. Tousey depicts a man returning from vacation to find his desk buried under unpaid bills—the caption reads "What's the trouble with Binns? He just got back from his vacation, and didn't find his desk covered with unpaid bills!" This is straightforward domestic humor about the unpleasant surprise of accumulated bills awaiting vacation-goers, a timeless relatable joke requiring no historical context to understand.

# "After the Movies" - Judge Magazine Satire This page satirizes working-class women's susceptibility to consumer advertising. Mrs. Bullock, a poor woman eating beans from a newspaper, becomes ecstatic upon discovering a full-page department store advertisement featuring fashionable coats with exotic fabric names ("duvet de laine," "tricotine," "velonde") and mysterious colors ("bison," "faisan," "twilight"). The joke: she's so entranced by these foreign-sounding, aspirational product names that she abandons her meager existence and swims to San Francisco—only to become even more obsessed upon noticing another advertisement for $92.50 dresses, which would have driven her to jump in the ocean immediately. The satire mocks both advertising's manipulative appeal and the desperation of poor women's desire for unattainable luxury goods. The exaggerated silhouette cartoon reinforces the absurdist humor of the narrative.

# "The Barbecue at Yapp's Crossing" This is a densely-packed satirical illustration depicting a rural community gathering or fair, drawn by Johnny Gruelle. The scene shows numerous figures engaged in various activities around storefronts and open areas—eating, socializing, playing, with children, dogs, and period vehicles visible throughout. The storefront signs reference local businesses (Cramer Heggeman Meat Market, Bill Olsen's Shoe Shop, and others), suggesting this satirizes a specific small-town event or gathering. The chaotic energy and abundance of activity appears to mock or humorously exaggerate rural American social life and commerce of the era. Without clearer historical context about "Yapp's Crossing" or the specific date, the precise satirical target remains unclear, though it's clearly commenting on small-town Americana.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains three satirical pieces mocking office workers and social pretense in the early 20th century. **"The Office Force"** portrays young female office workers who compulsively lie about their social lives to impress colleagues. Each invents elaborate stories—about multiple wealthy suitors, fancy outings, romantic letters, and wealthy acquaintances—when the reality is far more modest (truck drivers, home visits with family, self-purchased diamonds). Marguerite, the "newest girl," keeps silent about her genuine engagement to a respectable sales manager, fearing her peers' judgment of her actual circumstances. The satire targets women's insecurity and competitive status-seeking in the workplace. **"Her Part of the South"** ridicules a woman who performs exaggerated "Southern belle" mannerisms—saying "you-all," claiming superior hospitality—only to be exposed as being from South Bend, Indiana, not the actual South. The joke exposes her pretentiousness and inauthenticity. The page satirizes workplace vanity, class anxiety, and the gap between people's real and performed lives.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains a humorous short story titled "Just Try it and See" about a male author struggling to write without including female characters. The narrative satirizes romantic entanglement and male weakness regarding women. The plot: An author repeatedly refuses entry to various women visiting his home, insisting he wants to write a story without "a girl in it." However, women keep appearing—first a rejected visitor, then a dark-haired beauty who infiltrates his study, and finally a blonde who bursts through his back door. Despite his protests and attempts at resolve, he ultimately surrenders to their presence. The satire targets early 20th-century gender dynamics and masculine pretense. The joke suggests that men cannot escape female company or influence, and that their stated independence is illusory. The story mocks both male weakness and female persistence in pursuing romantic attention. The accompanying cartoon at top shows a newlywed couple with a car labeled "The Matrimonial Car," reinforcing themes about male resistance to female-centered domestic life.

# "My Busy Day" - Historical Context This 1910s story/cartoon illustrates post-WWI American economic anxiety. The illustration shows a man being pulled in opposite directions—one figure labeled "Fortuna" (Lady Luck) on the left, and a darker, more aggressive figure on the right holding what appears to be a bill or debt notice. The text by Walt Mason contrasts pre-war optimism with current hardship. The author laments lost leisure time and "Sunny Jim" cheerfulness, blaming wartime economic disruption. He catalogs relentless expenses: raised rent, groceries, coal bills, children's clothing, and food—all while wages remain stagnant. The satire targets both the false optimism of pre-war times and the false comfort of motivational speakers ("no optimist can help me now"). For modern readers, this captures how WWI inflation and economic strain transformed American middle-class life from one of modest leisure into grinding, endless labor with no financial relief possible.

# Political and Social Commentary in Judge Magazine This page from Judge magazine contains two book review essays critiquing popular literature of the era. **"John Silence" review**: The critic praises Algernon Blackwood's ghost stories as genuinely thrilling psychological horror, contrasting them favorably with modern entertainment that has allegedly made readers emotionally numb. The reviewer suggests readers have become desensitized and need authentic literary scares. **"Tarzan" review**: The critic compares Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan series to older adventure fiction (referencing Rider Haggard's *She* and *King Solomon's Mines*), noting that Tarzan has replaced those earlier heroes in popular imagination. The commentary is lighthearted—the reviewer jokes about Tarzan's superior ability to manage animal companions compared to ordinary people managing household staff and service workers, likely satirizing class relationships and modern domestic frustrations. Both reviews reflect Judge's intellectual posture: defending "serious" literature while acknowledging mass entertainment's cultural dominance.

# "Bad Breaks" Page Explanation This is a humor collection from *Judge* magazine featuring "Bad Breaks"—unintentionally funny or absurd newspaper clippings submitted by readers. The page showcases accidental double meanings and nonsensical reporting. Key examples of the satire: - **"Made Sure of It"**: A news account reads as if someone casually murdered a man, then casually murdered him again to be thorough. - **"The Ghostly Watch"**: A dead person somehow stands watching—impossible without being a ghost. - **"Trouble Brewed"**: Lists beer and raisins as kitchen contents, implying bootleg beer-making during Prohibition. The central cartoon ("A Filmy Close-Up") features President Wilson leaving the White House, likely satirizing overly formal or awkwardly distant press photography of political figures. The page relies on readers finding humor in journalism's careless word choices and logical absurdities—a staple of *Judge*'s satirical approach to American culture and media.