Judge — August 13, 1921

# Analysis This page is primarily an **advertisement for Leslie's Weekly magazine**, not a political cartoon or satirical content itself. The ad's main headline—"Are Women Becoming More Fascinating?"—uses a somewhat patronizing appeal typical of early 20th-century advertising, suggesting the article by Fred C. Kelly will interest both "feminine" and "masculine" readers. The gendered language reflects period attitudes about gender roles. The ad lists various article topics: "Manhattan's Wettest Spot," "Old Valpo Comes Back," and "The Rise in Burglary," authored by established writers of the era. These appear to be typical magazine fare covering urban life, nostalgia, and crime—common subjects for illustrated weeklies of this period. The page essentially promotes Leslie's as essential weekly reading for a general audience.

# Analysis of "At The Old Swimmin' Hole—'Aw, Gee!'" This illustration by Walter De Maris depicts a nostalgic, rural American swimming scene. A group of children and young people enjoy a natural swimming hole surrounded by trees, with some swimming and others standing on the bank. The caption "Aw, Gee!" suggests mild disappointment or surprise. Without additional context from the article text, the cartoon's specific satirical point is unclear. It may comment on simpler, innocent childhood pleasures, or possibly contrast rural versus urban life—common Judge magazine themes in 1921. The illustration's sentimental tone indicates this is likely a humorous or whimsical piece rather than sharp political satire, possibly nostalgic commentary on American rural life during the increasingly urbanized 1920s.

# Analysis This illustration by Vaux Wilson depicts a romantic scene between a bride and groom in a rural, mountainous setting. The groom, dressed formally in a dark suit and hat, sits beside the bride in her white dress near a wooden gate with stacked rocks nearby. The dialogue reveals the joke's point: the bride romanticizes their pastoral location ("Isn't this heavenly, darling?"), while the groom pragmatically responds with hunger, wishing they'd brought sandwiches instead. The satire mocks the contrast between idealized honeymoon expectations and practical reality—a common theme in early-20th-century humor magazines like *Judge*. The groom's mundane concern undercuts the bride's romantic sentiment, suggesting that even newlyweds face ordinary hardships like hunger during their supposedly idyllic getaway.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains two illustrations satirizing early 20th-century urban life and travel: **Top illustration** ("Say! Enter, ye ever gonna fill this burn mud hole?"): Depicts a car stuck in muddy road conditions while passengers complain. The joke mocks the poor state of American roads despite the automobile age—a common complaint of the era when cars were becoming popular but infrastructure lagged. **Bottom illustration** ("Baggage: His and Hers"): Shows men struggling to transport an enormous stack of luggage, apparently belonging to a woman. This satirizes the era's stereotype about women's excessive travel baggage and shopping habits—a recurring theme in period humor about gender differences and consumerism. Both cartoons humorously critique the tensions between modern conveniences and their practical complications.

# Judge Magazine Page Analysis **"The Rescue"** (top): A humorous story about a young couple, David and Gertylyn, whose romantic encounter is interrupted by Gerrish, a man apparently under hypnosis who floats in the air. The satire mocks early 20th-century courtship etiquette—David is embarrassed by his own passion (modest men wore high collars and long trousers), while the persistent floating intruder becomes an absurd obstacle. The joke satirizes both romantic propriety and the era's fascination with mesmerism/hypnotism as a pseudo-scientific phenomenon. Eventually they solve the problem by hiring Prof. Morpheus (a pun on Morpheus, god of sleep) to wake him. **"Long Distance Moving"** (bottom): A cartoon by Paul Reilly showing a tiny car attempting to pass a large moving truck, appearing impossibly small by comparison. This is visual humor about the frustration of highway driving—the optical illusion makes passing feel impossible and absurd.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains three distinct pieces of humor typical of early 20th-century Judge magazine: **"Uprightousness"** (top left): A brief joke about a man eating fifty ears of corn—the humor relies on the pun that standing up would allow him to eat more, playing on "uprighteous" (upright/righteous). **"Nomenclature"** (center): A fashion industry joke where dress names like "Banana Peel" are absurdly literal descriptions rather than elegant designations. The satire mocks commercial fashion marketing. **"Twixt Cup and Lip"** (right): A philosophical poem by J. Milo Curci exploring the gap between desire and achievement—between having something (the cup) and enjoying it (the lip). Uses farming, business, and social metaphors to illustrate how plans fail between conception and completion. **Golf cartoon** (bottom): An illustrated golf rule explaining that players cannot assume a ball is out of bounds without a five-minute search—satirizing golf's obsessive rule-consciousness and the sport's genteel pretension to precision. The page represents Judge's blend of social satire, wordplay, and contemporary cultural commentary.

# "Hokku or Hokum?" - Judge Magazine Satire This article mocks the literary trend of "hokku" (Japanese free verse poetry), particularly as championed by Amy Lowell, a prominent modernist poet of the early 20th century. **The Satire:** The author argues that hokku is deliberately obscure and pretentious—verses packed with hidden meaning that readers must guess at, while the poet refuses to explain the point. The cartoon above illustrates this absurdity: a person boasts about ancestors massacred by Native Americans, a ridiculous "tragic" claim meant to exemplify the kind of vague, confusing subject matter hokku celebrates. **The Point:** Judge ridicules modernist poetry as meaningless obscurity masquerading as art. The author demonstrates this by composing deliberately cryptic hokku examples (about a golfer cursing, someone hiding alcohol) that are intentionally nonsensical—proving the form rewards confusion over genuine meaning. This reflects broader early-20th-century American skepticism toward avant-garde literary movements among mainstream audiences.

# Explanation of Judge Magazine Page Content This page contains several satirical pieces typical of early 20th-century humor: **"Wail of a Misogynist"** presents a poem by a man claiming complete indifference to women's physical attributes—legs, clothing, faces, bosoms—framed as a virtue. The satire mocks misogynistic attitudes by having the speaker boast about his inability to appreciate or be affected by feminine appeal, suggesting such indifference is actually a character flaw dressed up as principle. **"The Good Ship Honeymoon"** depicts newlyweds observing an elderly couple on a ship and asking if they'll remain happy after decades of marriage. The joke's punchline—the old couple reveals they're also newlyweds—subverts expectations while gently suggesting marriage's honeymoon phase is brief. **"A Puckery Probability"** offers humorous theories about the forbidden fruit from Genesis, concluding it was likely a "green persimmon" (an astringent, unpleasant fruit), playing on the idea that sin tastes bitter. The page also includes brief comic exchanges about mosquitoes, colds, traffic violations, and shy romance—typical light social satire of the era.

# Judge Magazine Page Analysis **Main Cartoon (top):** A stoker (ship's furnace worker) emerges from below deck surrounded by officers in white uniforms, quipping "Well, well! And where's St. Peter?" The joke satirizes the contrast between the grimy, hellish conditions of lower-deck workers versus the pristine upper ranks—suggesting the stoker has literally emerged from hell while the officers inhabit a heavenly realm. It's social commentary on class hierarchy and working conditions. **Text Content:** The page contains various short humorous pieces typical of Judge's satirical format: - "Mercenary Margie" mocks a woman who values commercial viability over romantic poetry - "Indigestible" satirizes Bolsheviks (Russian communists) through a cannibal allegory—coded as dangerous/unpalatable - "Cave Country Politics" jokes about rural political corruption and distrust - Other brief quips about optimism, romance, and labor relations **Overall:** This represents Judge's characteristic blend of class commentary, anti-communist sentiment (timely for the 1920s Red Scare era), and gentle social satire targeting American types and behaviors.

# A Lion Escapes from the Circus at Yapp's Crossing This is a humorous illustration by Johnny Gruelle depicting chaos in a small town when a circus lion escapes. The cartoon shows a street lined with local businesses (drug store, grocery, furniture shop, etc.) and townspeople—appearing to be children or simple folk—fleeing in panic as the lion roams the street. The satire likely mocks small-town life and its vulnerability to disruption, playing on the contrast between the ordinariness of local commerce and the exotic danger of circus wildlife invading this mundane space. The scattered debris, overturned carts, and frantic figures suggest slapstick comedy at the expense of rural communities. The specific shops and names visible appear to be references to actual Yapp's Crossing businesses, suggesting this may target a real location known to Judge's readers, adding a local mockery element to the humor.