Judge — August 4, 1923

# Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page features an illustrated puzzle rather than political satire. Four identically-dressed men in business suits are shown in different poses—sitting, standing, and kneeling—with the accompanying text posing a riddle about which figure represents "you." The puzzle contrasts two types of men with equal income and reading time: one lacks intellectual development, while the others have cultivated knowledge through reading history, biographies, and drama despite limited formal education. The "joke" concludes by promoting Judge magazine's "Royal Order of Raisin Collectors"—a humorous club encouraging readers to submit funny observations for publication. This appears to be an advertisement disguised as entertainment, inviting reader participation and subscription. The cartoon illustrates the magazine's philosophy about self-improvement through reading and intellectual engagement.

# Analysis The page's main cartoon depicts a figure fishing with an unusually long rod and line, catching what appears to be a large worm or fish labeled "The worm!" This is visual satire about poker—specifically, the text article "The Study of Stud" explains how poker players deceive each other. The cartoon likely illustrates the deceptive nature of the game: skilled players "fish" for information about opponents' hands through bluffing and manipulation. The "worm" caught represents either an unsuspecting victim or the hidden truth players attempt to extract. Below the cartoon, an advertisement promotes "Henry Ford for President of the Ford Motor Car Co."—humorously treating Ford's company leadership as if it were a political office. The page demonstrates Judge's characteristic blend of political commentary and social humor targeting turn-of-the-century American culture.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page **Main Cartoon (top):** Drawn by Gilbert Wilkinson, this depicts a rescue scene at a beach. One figure sits on a post calling "He—Come on! I'll save you!" while another appears to be drowning. The woman responds skeptically: "She—Oh yes, I know that! You'd save me before I was properly drowned!" This satirizes male heroics and chivalry—mocking the assumption that women need or want rescuing. The joke suggests men rush to "save" women prematurely or unnecessarily, playing up their own importance. **Lower Section:** Titled "Question" by Wm. S. Adkins, this appears to be humorous dialogue about marriage, poker, and domestic life—typical Judge magazine content mixing social commentary with light domestic satire. The overall tone reflects early-to-mid 20th century attitudes toward gender relations and marital dynamics.

# Analysis of "The Plumber to His Love" This page contains a romantic poem by Edmund J. Kiefer addressing a plumber's beloved, celebrating humble domestic life with "hot and cold water" and "two little faucets." The accompanying sketch shows a plumber working while a woman watches—visualizing this working-class romance. Below are several brief humorous vignettes mocking various social types: a discussion about Henry Ford automobiles, a mother-son exchange about Sunday miracles, and commentary on modern women (a "New Chore Woman" wanting a radio, a summer girl discarding clothes for a tan, a typewriter-carrying woman). The bottom cartoon satirizes autoists attempting to race trains, credited to an "Engineer." Overall, the page humorously critiques contemporary American social pretensions and the emerging consumer culture of the early 20th century.

# Analysis This page from *Judge* magazine features an illustration by an artist (signature visible) accompanying an article titled "In the game of tennis, its not so much the overhand, as it is the underthings" by John Held, Jr. The cartoon depicts four figures in dynamic tennis poses with exaggerated movements. The humor appears to play on a double entendre: while ostensibly about tennis technique ("underhand" vs. "overhang"), the title puns on "underthings" (undergarments). The illustrated figures—rendered in Held's characteristic style with bold black hair—seem designed to showcase athletic movement while the wordplay suggests the satire focuses on what players wear beneath their tennis attire, reflecting *Judge*'s typical risqué humor about fashion and bodily display during this era.

# Analysis for Modern Readers This page contains two separate pieces from *Judge* magazine: **"Le Mot Juste"** (top): A domestic comedy sketch about a boyfriend showing off new trousers to his girlfriend Millicent. She uses the word "terrible" casually ("just too terribly darling"), which he pedantically corrects—arguing that precise vocabulary ("the mot juste," French for "the right word") is essential to proper speech and social breeding. The satire mocks his pretentious obsession with linguistic exactitude while she's simply making conversation. It's gentle satire of masculine pedantry and class-consciousness around "refined" speech. **"Bucket Shop Victim"** (bottom): A brief cartoon showing what appears to be a man being rubbed/beaten by others, with the caption suggesting financial loss ("bucket shop" was slang for illegal gambling operations dealing in stocks). The joke's specific context is unclear without more historical detail about this particular victim or scandal. Both pieces reflect early 20th-century preoccupations with propriety, class markers, and financial schemes targeting ordinary people.

# Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page contains multiple satirical pieces typical of early 20th-century Judge magazine humor. **Top Comic Strip ("When the wife's away the ice will play"):** Depicts a man creating chaos with ice deliveries while his wife is absent—a visual gag about domestic misbehavior and the "man of the house" abandoning propriety. **Middle Dialogue Section:** Features a couple, Millicent and her husband, in a marital squabble. She's giggling uncontrollably at double entendres (his lectures about "wandering from discourse" and "bandy words" trigger her to think of "bandy legs"). The satire mocks both her frivolous humor and his pompous, pedantic speech patterns. It's genteel domestic comedy poking fun at pretentious intellectual posturing. **"Sleepy Cow Puncher" cartoon:** A visual gag about an alarm clock. **Bottom vignettes:** Brief satirical observations about player-pianos, five-and-dime stores, and authorial success—social commentary on consumerism and vanity. The overall tone reflects Judge's target audience: educated, urban middle-class readers amused by domestic situations and mild social critique.

# "Stories to Tell" - Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page collects humorous short stories and jokes typical of early 20th-century American humor magazines. The content reflects period attitudes and concerns: **The stories include:** - A schoolroom joke about "freckles" as the sun's gift—simple children's humor - A farmer seeking an "undertaker" (not for death, but to eliminate middlemen from his Co-operative)—satirizing the Co-op movement's rhetoric - A clergy boy defending his short socks against peer mockery—mild class commentary - A chicken fancier receiving eggs as birthday gifts—absurdist humor - A Jacksonville, Oregon resident claiming to be from a "Wild West" town, then describing an exaggerated tall tale about a man drinking carbolic and sulphuric acid—frontier mythology humor The final comic strip shows a child unafraid by various urban/industrial sights, but frightened by his mother—domestic humor about parental authority. The overall tone is genteel, family-friendly satire aimed at middle-class readers, with no overtly political content visible on this page.

# "To the Proprietors of Bath Houses" by Stanley Bauk This page contains two separate humorous pieces. The top cartoon shows a mother discovering her son has eaten a green caterpillar, with the father cautioning against eating unidentified country items—a simple domestic joke about childhood mischief. The bottom cartoon, titled "All Set for the Picnic," depicts an old-fashioned father nearly forgetting the pickles before departing in an early automobile. This is gentle satire of the era's rapid modernization: while automobiles represent technological progress, family picnicking traditions (like remembering pickles) remain unchanged. The humor lies in this contrast between modern transportation and traditional domestic concerns. The accompanying essay appears to discuss bath houses and lockers, though the specific satirical target is unclear from this excerpt alone.

# Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page contains several satirical pieces reflecting post-WWI American life: **Main Cartoon**: An Aviation Corps observer, now a civilian, demonstrates how his military neck-scarf serves multiple purposes (belt, ankle-wear). The joke: his "war training wasn't wasted" because he's found practical uses for military gear—satirizing returning soldiers' attempts to justify their service in ordinary life. **Other Humor Pieces**: Brief anecdotes about middle-class life, including a wife's extravagant spending on dresses (blamed on her husband's car ownership), suggestions for adding a "checking counter" (unclear reference), and jokes about home security and tailoring. **"My Apple Tart"**: A romantic poem celebrating a girlfriend who lacks education but "knows her stuff"—likely a satirical jab at intellectualism or women's education, valuing practical knowledge over learning. The page reflects 1920s concerns: post-war adjustment, consumer culture, and gender roles. The humor targets both returning soldiers and middle-class anxieties about modernity and women's roles.

# "Told at the 19th Hole": Golf Humor for Judge Magazine This page contains humorous golf anecdotes and a satirical cartoon by Walter Trumbull, written for an early 20th-century American audience. The cartoon "Golf as a Cure for Nervousness" depicts a man undergoing treatment for anxiety—spending $82 weekly while his wife exploits the situation, dining at expensive club bridges and charging him $48 for parties. His total expense reaches $2,656, with the "cure" clearly worsening his finances. The surrounding text mocks golf culture: golfers' obsession with the sport (wearing ridiculous knickerbockers publicly), their terrible play despite expensive equipment, and their petty obsessions. References to Bobby Jones (contemporary golf champion) and specific clubs like Oakmont in Pittsburgh ground the satire in recognizable contemporary figures and venues. The humor targets both golf's pretensions and how it exposes human nature—temper tantrums over missed putts, self-deception about ability, and financial recklessness disguised as leisure.

# Analysis for Modern Readers This article satirizes how sports crowds express disapproval—specifically the practice of "hissing" at boxing matches. The cartoon depicts rowdy spectators at a sporting event, emphasizing the collective nature of crowd jeering. **The Satire:** Author Edward Anthony compares modern crowd hissing to the Roman "thumbs down" method, arguing hissing is more efficient feedback. He references a specific boxing match where Benny Leonard fought Rocky Kansas at Madison Square Garden, with Kansas repeatedly hitting Leonard with the heel of his glove, triggering loud crowd hissing. **The Point:** The piece humorously suggests that immediate, vocal crowd disapproval (hissing and heckling) is actually an *improvement* over passive Roman methods—it gives athletes instant, unmistakable feedback. The comparison to gladiators who couldn't hear crowd disapproval until too late is tongue-in-cheek. The article concludes by noting baseball fans have different methods ("Ooo-oo-oo!"), setting up continued commentary on page 23.