Judge — December 11, 1920

# Analysis This page is primarily an **advertisement for Judge magazine itself**, disguised as gift advice. The cartoon illustrates a domestic scene where a woman presents a gift suggestion to a man seated with a child. The satire targets gift-giving anxiety: the text acknowledges that choosing Christmas presents for men is "a perplexing question." The solution proposed is Judge magazine—"the magazine that has no fads"—positioned as thoughtful and enduring entertainment. The humor lies in **self-promotion**: suggesting a year-long magazine subscription provides repeated reminders of the giver's thoughtfulness while offering "bright side of things" humor. The ad emphasizes Judge's reputation as "America's leading humorous publication" and appeals to masculine interests by contrasting it with frivolous alternatives. This represents early 1920s consumer advertising merged with editorial content.

# Judge Magazine, December 11, 1926 This page contains two cartoons satirizing Christmas gift-giving expectations. **Top cartoon** ("The Model She Asked Santa Claus to Send Her"): Shows a young woman gazing at a 1921 automobile model, suggesting materialistic desires—expensive cars as romantic fantasy gifts. **Bottom cartoon** ("Some of the Things They Looked at for Aunt Jane—and What They Sent Her"): Contrasts what people *wanted* to give (jewelry, wristwatch, pitcher, wardrobe items, fur coat) versus what they *actually* sent (a postcard). This satirizes the gap between generous gift-giving intentions and stingy reality, likely reflecting post-war economic concerns or simple tightfistedness among gift-givers. Both cartoons humorously mock Christmas materialism and the disconnect between desires and practical reality.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Cartoon This Walter De Maris cartoon depicts a uniformed policeman (identifiable by his cap and formal attire) addressing a woman with a baby carriage on a city street. The caption reads: "Would you mind keeping your eye on Millicent while I do a little Christmas shopping?" The satire targets police conduct and public order. The joke relies on the absurdity of a cop abandoning his duty to ask a stranger—a woman with an infant—to watch someone (presumably a child or person named Millicent) while he shops. This mocks either police negligence or the assumption that any woman would naturally accept such responsibility, likely satirizing gender expectations and police priorities during the Christmas season. The cartoon critiques the casual disregard for proper procedure.

# "When Santa Claus Was Pinched" This is a satirical story by Cyril B. Fagan, not a political cartoon. The illustration shows Santa confronted by what appears to be a police officer or authority figure. The satire mocks a wealthy philanthropist ("Mr. S. Claus") who manufactures cigars and toys but is caught by police for some violation—likely tax evasion or labor law breaches (the text mentions "stevedore"). The joke plays on the hypocrisy of a self-styled "Santa" benefactor who gives Christmas presents to poor children while breaking the law himself. The accompanying short items (small jokes about Christmas and gift-giving) reinforce the theme of holiday hypocrisy and commercialism, characteristic of Judge magazine's social satire in the early 20th century.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains literary and illustrated content rather than political satire. "The Ballade of a Forgotten Father" by J.E. Middleton is a poem lamenting a father neglected during Christmas gift-giving—family members receive presents (nephews get picture books, sister gets silk hose, brother gets lobster) while "Father has been quite neglected." The accompanying illustrations show domestic scenes: one depicts acrobatic children, another shows a child preparing the house for Santa Claus's arrival. The "Edited" section presents a humorous dialogue between a minister and his young son about sermon-writing, establishing a whimsical tone rather than satirizing political figures or events. This appears to be holiday-themed family humor content rather than the political commentary Judge magazine was known for.

# Page Analysis: Judge Magazine Satirical Content This page contains several unrelated humorous sketches typical of Judge's satirical format: **"The Wanderer Returns"**: A sentimental story where a successful man returns to thank an elderly woman who sheltered him as a vagrant years earlier and made him abandon his bottle—implying sobriety enabled his success. The joke plays on his hopeful question "Have you got it yet?"—ambiguously asking if she's kept his bottle or achieved her own redemption. **"Its Identity"**: A woman consults a sage about an object she created while sleepwalking, unable to name or purpose it. The sage advises giving it as a Christmas gift—standard absurdist humor about incomprehensible modern art or useless creations. **"Overdoing It"**: A domestic dispute where Mr. Gaspit refuses spending for emergencies, and Mrs. Gaspit sarcastically suggests he acts like Noah preparing for another flood—mocking excessive frugality. The cartoons satirize human nature: redemption narratives, modern art pretension, and marital financial disputes. No specific political figures or events appear identifiable.

# "The Chance He Overlooked" This story satirizes small-town social dynamics and the pursuit of popularity. Bart, a newspaper editor obsessed with being liked, orchestrates his own popularity by appearing to be dying—the town floods him with sympathy, flowers, and praise. However, when he recovers and lives, he becomes "unpopular" again, having squandered his chance at "eternal popularity" through the unforgivable act of *not dying*. The satire mocks both Bart's pathetic desperation for approval and the town's fickle sentimentality—people are kind only to the dying, not the living. By recovering, Bart commits "the most unpopular thing I could have done," exposing how shallow community affection truly is. The other brief items (holiday shopping costs, a child misunderstanding scripture) are light filler typical of Judge's format.

# "Between Covers" - Judge Magazine Book Reviews This page contains three book review essays satirizing American literary censorship and cultural attitudes circa the 1920s. **"What the Postman Blew Out of His Whistle"** attacks the suppression of James Branch Cabell's novel *Jurgen*, censored for sexual content despite being serious literature. The author condemns this "New Witchcraft" of book censorship—comparing it unfavorably to Broadway's openly permissive shows—while praising an emergency committee of major English-language writers protesting the ban. **"Richard Just Won't Grow Up"** mocks poet Richard Le Gallienne for writing archaic romantic verse (sonnets, villanelles) about medieval themes and "ye olde" imagery while living in modern times. The reviewer notes Le Gallienne occasionally engages contemporary subjects but mostly retreats into nostalgic, decorative writing. **"Light Turkey Wings"** (partially visible) appears to review a novel about an unsophisticated character named Turkey Bowman. The overall tone is satirical elitism—criticizing both literary censorship and sentimental antiquarianism as failures of modern American culture.

# "A December Calendar of Christmas Possibilities, with Happy Backward Glances" This is a humorous calendar page by Joseph A. Cunningham featuring 31 comic vignettes depicting various Christmas scenarios and holiday mishaps. Rather than identifying specific political figures, the cartoons satirize common domestic and social situations: gift-giving disasters, holiday parties gone wrong, Christmas shopping chaos, winter weather problems, and family gatherings. The "backward glances" reference suggests nostalgia for past Christmases, likely contrasting idealized holiday memories with realistic comedic outcomes. The drawings employ exaggerated expressions and slapstick situations typical of Judge magazine's satirical style. Without clearer text legibility on individual panels, specific plot details remain difficult to confirm, but the overall purpose is gentle social commentary on modern Christmas culture and consumer excess through visual humor.

# Understanding Judge Magazine's "Bad Breaks" Page This page showcases the satirical "Bad Breaks" column, which pays readers for humorous typographical or logical errors clipped from newspapers. Rather than political satire, Judge ridicules sloppy newspaper writing. Examples highlighted include: - **Nonsensical claims**: Glass bottles that dissolve honey's purity; a woman "killed" yet dying later; a baby owning its parents as "property" - **Logical absurdities**: Parents visiting relatives *while* being born in Poland; a person surviving in a cemetery; a hat "faced" with pumps The cartoon header shows figures handling the "breaks" as physical items—comedic visual representation of collecting newspaper gaffes. This reflects Judge's role as a *humor magazine for educated readers*, celebrating verbal/print mistakes while mocking newspapers' carelessness. It's meta-humor: satirizing not politics but the press itself.