Judge — August 12, 1922

# Analysis of "Your Board of Directors" This cartoon satirizes abstract concepts as if they were corporate board members in a business meeting. The artist, Cormac Lowell, explains that instead of depicting an actual corporation's board, he personified human qualities: Love, Time, Money, Polly, War, the Devil, Fate, and Death. The satire works through this clever substitution—treating philosophical and moral forces as if they were mundane business directors in conference. The joke is that these cosmic/moral forces actually control human affairs more than any corporate board does. By rendering them as seated figures around a table, the cartoon suggests that abstract forces, not industrial captains, truly govern society and individual destiny. The piece appeared in Judge's June 24, 1922 issue.

# "Hot Under the Collar" - Judge Magazine, August 14, 1922 This cartoon depicts a domestic dispute between two men over a woman's housekeeping during her absence. The titled "Hot Under the Collar" refers to Mr. Du Guineau becoming angry while his wife is away. The humor relies on period domestic stereotypes: a waiter suggests adding garlic to the salad, while the stenographer comments that the husband "never looked less than a year before!" The final exchange about a radio broadcast for a child to "read the paper" suggests absurdist modern technology humor. The satire mocks both incompetent husbands managing households and the era's emerging consumer technologies. It reflects 1920s anxieties about gender roles, domestic management, and rapid technological change entering American homes.

# "Pas Si Mal" - Short Short Stories This page presents a humorous narrative about Dickie Van Dersleeve, a man whose marriage troubles prompt him to seek advice from Mr. Tubb, the company president. The story satirizes marriage dynamics of the era. Van Dersleeve complains of unhappiness despite having money and loving his wife. Tubb invites him and his wife to a weekend gathering at his summer home, where Van Dersleeve is shocked to encounter fifteen guests—none of whom he recognizes. The joke culminates when "a red-nosed hanky" (clearly a woman of questionable reputation) emerges from a car, and the narrative ends with "Sh!" The final caption notes the couple has "turned over a new leaf and are now living happily ever after"—implying the introduction of extramarital intrigue paradoxically saved their marriage. The satire mocks both marital dissatisfaction and the loose morality of the period's upper class.

# Analysis of "Save Insomnia" by Don Herold This satirical article critiques the "Stop Insomnia" movement—an apparent public campaign to help people sleep better. Herold argues ironically that insomnia should be *preserved* because sleeplessness enables creative achievement. The cartoon shows a man confronting a woman surrounded by sleep remedies and devices (hot water bottles, pillows, etc.), illustrating the commercial push to eliminate insomnia. Herold's point: society is organizing against insomnia, but this threatens creative impulse. He claims great poets, painters, and musicians produced their best work during sleepless nights. The satire mocks both the era's emerging commercialization of sleep-aids and what he sees as misguided anti-insomnia campaigns that would rob artists of productive restlessness. The article reflects 1920s debates about modernity, commerce, and artistic life.

# Analysis This illustration from *Judge* magazine depicts a domestic scene with social commentary. A man in formal attire (identified as "Freddie" in the caption) is sneezing, while a woman sits nearby. The caption reads: "She—Goodness, Freddie, what makes you sneeze so? 'The powder on your dose—atchoo!'" The joke appears to be a double entendre playing on the word "dose" (likely meant as "nose"). It satirizes the popular use of cosmetic face powder among women of the era, suggesting the woman has applied so much powder that it's causing the man to sneeze. This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about women's cosmetics and beauty practices, mocking both excessive makeup application and the social pretense surrounding feminine appearance.

# "Cherchez la Femme" Analysis This 1922 satirical article by John Held Jr. mocks the "New Woman" of the Jazz Age—specifically the trend of bobbed hair and masculine fashion choices. The piece uses evolutionary language to ridicule women adopting short hairstyles, boots, and breeches as departures from traditional femininity. The cartoon pairs four illustrated female figures showing different degrees of "mannishness" with a small black dog, humorously suggesting women are becoming indistinguishable from males. The title, a French phrase meaning "find the woman," ironically suggests the modern woman is now *hidden* rather than visible. The satire criticizes both the fashion trend itself and intellectuals (Darwin, "Evolutionists") for failing to predict or understand women's changing social roles. The author presents this as bewildering sexual confusion rather than legitimate social progress—a common conservative reaction to 1920s feminism and women's increasing independence.

# Political Satire from Judge Magazine The main cartoon titled "As We Were Saying" satirizes fashion and social hypocrisy. It depicts three figures with prominent ears exposed, captioned "Rumored inference that naked ear is immodest." The joke targets the contradiction in 1920s fashion: as women's skirts lengthen (becoming more "modest"), their ears become visible through shorter hairstyles. The satire mocks society's arbitrary standards—it obsesses over hidden legs while now displaying ears, suggesting fashion "rules" are nonsensical and ever-changing. The accompanying text pieces mock American businessmen returning from Europe who now position themselves as experts on solving European problems through articles in popular magazines like the *Eagle* and *Banner*. Judge ridicules their self-importance: they're treated as "best minds" despite lacking genuine understanding, reflecting post-WWI American attitudes about foreign affairs and intellectual pretension.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This is a **humor page featuring short stories** competing for cash prizes ($10 for first place, $5 for second). The cartoonish illustration at top depicts comedic scenes but functions mainly as decoration. The stories reflect early 20th-century American social humor: 1. **First Prize**: A Texas land-trader exploits an illiterate man's inability to read a deed—satirizing frontier dishonesty and illiteracy. 2. **Second Prize**: Railroad passengers debate an old horse's death; one reveals he owns company stock—mocking financial anxiety and capitalist anxiety. 3. **Other stories** include: German WWI prisoners intimidated by Kansas soldiers (American regional pride); an Irishman fooling a police commissioner by impersonating his brother (ethnic Irish humor); an insurance agent obsessively cautious with his new car; an American's surprise that Irish taverns serve three meals. The humor targets **immigrant communities** (Irish), **business ethics**, **class anxiety**, and **regional American character types**. Most jokes rely on wordplay, deception, or cultural stereotypes now considered offensive.

# "Over the Hills and Far Away" - Judge Magazine Sports Page This page celebrates prominent American athletes from the 1920s with satirical biographical captions beneath their photographs. The title references a popular song, suggesting these sports figures are riding high on success. The satire is gentle: **Rogers Hornsby** (St. Louis Cardinals) is relentlessly chasing batting records. **William J. Tilden** (tennis champion) credits his success to punctuality and good sportsmanship. **Walter Hagen** (golfer) is so distracted pursuing both British and American trophies that he can't focus on either. **John J. Black** (golfer) lost a championship by one stroke—with a pun on his name ("prospects would have been very black"). The humor is primarily about sports obsession and the single-minded pursuit of victory. These are celebratory profiles of athletic excellence rendered slightly ridiculous through exaggeration—typical Judge magazine treatment of contemporary celebrities.

# "Cutting the Heart of the Plate" - Judge Magazine Analysis This is a sports commentary by Heywood Broun (not a cartoon) analyzing why certain baseball players capture public imagination while others don't, despite comparable talent. **The Main Figures:** - **Clarence "Tillie" Walker** - a real baseball player with excellent statistics but little fan appeal - **Babe Ruth** - the famous Yankees star with magnetic personality and perfect "brand name" - **Ping Bodie** - a historical player whose synthetic name succeeded through charm **The Satire's Point:** Broun argues that professional success depends less on actual ability than on *personality and marketability*. Walker hits home runs with technical skill but "without gusto"—he's forgettable. Ruth, by contrast, embodies raw vitality and "primitive force"; even his name carries drama. The article satirizes how mass psychology and personality cult override merit in American sports fandom. **Social Context:** This reflects 1920s concerns about celebrity culture, mass media's power, and whether substance or showmanship determines public success—issues remarkably similar to modern celebrity discourse.

# "Told at the 19th Hole" This page collects golf anecdotes—humorous stories traditionally shared at the 19th hole (the clubhouse bar). The cartoon header shows five caricatured gentlemen in period dress, establishing the leisurely, genteel context. The jokes employ gentle humor: one involves a gentleman catching his own ball mid-bounce and being told to simply "tee it up...and put your hands in your pockets"; another mocks an inexperienced golfer ("dub") who tears up turf instead of hitting properly. The final anecdote is racially charged by modern standards: it depicts a violent scene where white men beat a Black man to "reduce his ego" after he's deemed "obnoxious" through his "forward ways." An older white man negotiates the violence's duration, treating the assault as a commercial transaction timed to a passing train. This reflects Judge magazine's era (early 20th century) when such content reflected and reinforced racist attitudes among its educated, affluent readership. The story frames racial violence as corrective discipline, presented as humor within an ostensibly genteel sporting context.

# Political & Social Satire in This Judge Magazine Page This page contains three distinct satirical pieces: **Top cartoon**: Mocks women's golf fashion by suggesting female golfers could serve alternative purposes—as caddies, hunting dogs, or "bootch hound" (bootleg alcohol runners, referencing Prohibition-era smuggling). The satire targets both women's athletic participation and prohibition enforcement. **Middle story**: A preacher condemns women's short skirts as moral corruption, yet his congregation smiles—satirizing hypocritical religious authority and generational anxiety about changing women's fashion and behavior in the 1920s. **Bottom anecdote**: A wealthy Detroit factory owner plays golf but lacks skill, attributing success to "mass production"—satirizing American industrial culture's mechanical thinking applied inappropriately to leisure activities, likely mocking nouveau riche industrialists' pretensions. The "Old Mose" dialect story appears unrelated racist stereotyping typical of period publications.