Judge — October 29, 1921

# Analysis This page features a portrait photograph of **Walter Prichard Eaton** with an accompanying announcement. The text states that beginning October 22nd, Eaton will handle the Book Reviews section of *Judge* magazine. The announcement emphasizes Eaton's credentials, suggesting his reviews will offer "clear and concise" commentary on "books worth reading" while functioning as "a literary treat in itself." This appears to be a professional introduction rather than satire or political commentary. *Judge* is promoting a new editorial appointment to its readers. The formal portrait and endorsement indicate Eaton was a respected literary figure of the period, and the magazine is positioning his book reviews as a significant feature designed to attract readers interested in serious literary criticism alongside the magazine's typical satirical content.

# "Toot Sweet" - Judge Magazine, October 28, 1921 This cartoon by René Vincent depicts a motorcycle with sidecar speeding rapidly, titled "Toot Sweet" (a pun on the French phrase "tout de suite," meaning "immediately"). The image shows a fashionable woman operating the motorcycle while a formally dressed man in a top hat sits in the sidecar, appearing startled or alarmed by their speed. The motion lines and scattered debris suggest reckless, dangerously fast driving. The satire likely comments on the 1920s phenomenon of women gaining independence—including driving automobiles—and the social anxieties this generated among older generations represented by the formal gentleman. The joke plays on the contrast between modern female autonomy and traditional masculine discomfort with changing social norms.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains a drawing by Perry Barlow titled "He Said He Had Given Up Art," presenting three satirical scenarios about art and social class. The comic critiques attitudes toward artistic pursuits among different social strata: - **"Barely Possible"**: A bare-legged dancer struggles to find patronage; the caption suggests she needs a "press agent" for survival. - **"The Gentle Art"**: A father (Howard) is horrified his son swears, asking why he doesn't teach gentlemanly behavior—suggesting ironic disconnect between aspiration and reality. - **"Poor Satisfaction"**: Browne sarcastically notes that poverty allows one to "remain poor" while living up to ideals—mocking how the poor are praised for virtue born of necessity rather than choice. The satire targets class hypocrisy and the romanticization of struggling artists.

# "Stick 'Em Up!" by Edwin Baird This is a humorous short story rather than a political cartoon. It depicts a classic urban crime scenario from the early 20th century: Reilly McNab, a "stick-up man" (armed robber), encounters another criminal—a bond salesman—who robs him first. The illustration shows a child and dog waiting by water, presumably referencing the story's narrative. The satire appears to target the financial/bond-selling industry of the era, suggesting that legitimate businessmen who sell bonds are themselves "criminals" engaging in theft through commerce—implying these transactions are as dishonest as street robbery. It's commentary on perceived fraud or manipulation in financial markets, presented through the ironic device of a petty criminal being robbed by a respectable businessman.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains two separate satirical narratives with accompanying illustrations. The top cartoon titled "First Movie Queen" mocks wealthy socialites' casual cruelty. A fashionable woman dismisses her fiancé's wedding invitation, claiming she's too busy. The satire targets the selfish materialism of the upper class—she prioritizes social gatherings and personal possessions over genuine human relationships and commitments. The bottom illustration labeled "Mrs. Fattums" and "He—I guess Mahomes" appears incomplete in context, though it depicts social interaction with a satirical edge typical of Judge's class-based humor. Both pieces reflect early-20th-century satirical concerns: wealth's corrupting influence, the hollowness of high society, and the contrast between appearances and moral character. The magazine used humor to critique American social pretension.

# Explanation for Modern Readers **The Cartoon:** A mother watches a boy play with toy cars on the floor while his grandmother sits nearby. The boy jokes he's "bet" his grandmother she's lost her glasses—but clarifies he actually *hid* them, so it's not gambling. The humor plays on wordplay: the boy redefines a bet (wager) as a hidden-object game, innocently evading the gambling prohibition. **The Articles Below:** These are satirical essays. "A Color Scheme" mockingly proposes eugenics-based selective breeding to create humans of specific colors for social classification and military camouflage—a darkly sarcastic critique of early 20th-century eugenics pseudoscience. "Thick and Thin" is lighthearted verse about preferring thick steaks, books, and blankets, but thin rejection letters from editors. **Historical Context:** The eugenics piece reflects Judge magazine's skeptical take on the period's pseudo-scientific racial theories, using absurdist satire to expose their illogic.

# Judge Magazine Cartoon Analysis This is a domestic humor scene satirizing the difficulty of household staff management in early 20th-century America. The joke celebrates Mrs. Jolly's exceptional diplomacy: she has maintained employment harmony between an Irish cook and English housemaid for four years—presented as a remarkable achievement. The satire reflects period stereotypes about ethnic tensions between Irish and English workers, suggesting such conflicts were common enough to make their peaceful coexistence noteworthy and praiseworthy. The cartoon mocks both the class anxieties of the employing household and the assumption that national/ethnic differences would naturally create workplace friction. The humor relies on contemporary prejudices about Irish-English antagonism that modern readers would recognize as offensive stereotyping.

# "The Third Eye" by Benjamin De Casseres This is primarily an essay/column rather than a political cartoon. De Casseres argues for "the third eye"—humor and satire—as essential to seeing through social pretense and hypocrisy. He cites satirists like Voltaire, Shaw, and Mark Twain as models. The piece includes a dialogue mocking **George Bernard Shaw's recent play "Back to Methuselah,"** which proposed extending human lifespans. De Casseres ridicules Shaw for wanting to live longer despite his austere, joyless life (no meat, ale, or pleasures). The satire suggests Shaw's desire for longevity reflects exhaustion, not youthful vigor. De Casseres also jabs at **Prohibition** (the Volstead law) and suggests Congress is inherently absurd by calling the Congressional Record "the greatest humorous publication." The broader point: use humor and critical thinking to expose the contradictions and pretensions of public figures and institutions.

# Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page from *Judge* satirizes early 20th-century intellectual and social pretensions. The top cartoon mocks poor eyesight through the absurd figure of "little Judkins," who must move across a room to gaze into his lover's eyes—a visual pun on romantic sentiment meeting practical limitation. The main text ridicules the "International Eugenics Congress" (a real movement of the era promoting selective breeding). The author sarcastically proposes a "referendum" on whether Americans should become "demigods or barbarians," suggesting the congress's pseudo-scientific categorizations are absurd. He notes cynically that different regions would vote differently, and that criminals ("bandit vote") hold actual political power—undercutting the congress's pretensions to rational human improvement. The "Eastern Fancy" poem and office jokes in the right column are lighter filler content. **Context:** This reflects skepticism toward eugenics pseudoscience that was gaining credibility among American intellectuals in this era, despite its eventual association with Nazi ideology.

# Judge Magazine Page Analysis **Top Cartoon:** "Golfer with Hay Fever" depicts a golfer mid-swing, repeatedly sneezing ("ke-choo") while surrounded by goldenrod plants. The joke satirizes the frustration of attempting to play golf while suffering from hay fever—the pollen from goldenrod causes uncontrollable sneezing that ruins concentration on the ball. This references a common seasonal ailment that would particularly plague golfers in late summer/early fall. **Main Article:** "Eating in Different Languages" humorously traces a wealthy young American's overseas journey. Despite sampling cuisines worldwide—Irish potatoes, French pastry, Spanish rice, Japanese chop suey—he constantly longs for his mother's American home cooking. The satire gently mocks both nouveau riche Americans' tendency to travel abroad seeking sophistication, and their underlying inability to appreciate foreign cultures, ultimately preferring familiar American fare. **Minor Pieces:** Brief comedic sketches on linguistic wordplay and servant-master dynamics round out the page.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Book Review Page This page features literary reviews by Walter Prichard Eaton of two post-WWI novels. The illustration depicts an outdoor gathering of people—likely representing readers or the literary community. **"Three Soldiers" by John Dos Passos:** The reviewer praises this anti-war novel about military brutality and discipline breaking soldiers' spirits. Three protagonists represent different backgrounds: an Italian-American ("wop") seeking advancement, an Iowa farmer driven to kill an officer, and an educated composer who deserts. The reviewer notes Dos Passos uses profanity deliberately to immerse readers in the degradation of army life, endorsing the book's "sincere" anti-militarism. The recommendation to send it to a "disarmament conference" is satirical approval of its pacifist message. **"Coquette" by Frank Swinnerton:** The reviewer observes this novel about an ambitious London seamstress actually critiques capitalism's seductive appeal, though the author claims artistic objectivity. The character Sally Minto's drive to "get on" reflects American bourgeois aspiration—the reviewer notes Americans' hope of becoming bosses themselves, fed by Horatio Alger mythology and capitalist propaganda. Both reviews are sympathetic to progressive/socialist critiques of militarism and capitalism.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains two distinct pieces: **"You and I" (left):** A book review praising the novel "Coquette," which tells of Sally, an eighteen-year-old working-class girl from Hornsey Road who becomes a wealthy West End dressmaking establishment owner. The reviewer celebrates the novel's realism, character development, and clarity of narration. The critique notably acknowledges that despite American efforts at 100% independence, English novels like this remain superior—a backhanded compliment admitting British literary superiority. **"The Confidant" and "Hey-nonny-no!" (right):** Two unrelated pieces. "The Confidant" briefly satirizes an intrusive restaurant stranger who overshares personal details. "Hey-nonny-no!" is a humorous poem by La Touche Hancock mocking Shakespearean pastoral verse conventions while admitting the author doesn't understand archaic expressions like "hey-nonny-no" but will attempt pretty nature poetry anyway. The page blends literary criticism with light social satire and whimsical verse.