Judge, 1929-07-13 · page 17 of 36
Judge — July 13, 1929 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon mocks the stereotype of a newspaper editor so obsessed with meeting deadlines that he ignores human tragedy. Two men inform the chief editor of catastrophic personal emergencies—his wife dying, his baby dying—yet he responds with only frustration about printing delays, demanding the paper "go to press on time" with "clenched teeth." The joke satirizes the newspaper industry's legendary ruthlessness and misplaced priorities: getting the story/edition out matters more than basic human compassion. The caption "The Paper Comes First" makes this explicit. Below, a subtitle references melodramatic "newspaper game" stories where characters argue about documents ("Pass me them papers!"), suggesting newspapers themselves promote sensational fiction about their own importance. The satire targets both the industry's actual callousness and popular romanticization of newspaper work as supremely vital. This reflects real tensions in 1920s-30s journalism: competitive, deadline-driven, sometimes ethically questionable.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ting course wherever he happens to be camping. As I said, golfing is Batterslea’s other habit, hobby, vice or what-you-will, When it got to be three weeks after I saw Batterslea de began to wonder where with his camping — equipment. He'd never on the street one day [asked her if she'd heard anything from her husband. She told me he phoned t he was camping,” I she told me, “but luckily there is a telephone near- by. “But doesn’t he find it pretty expensive phoning y hback-woods It only costs to phone from where he’s camp- i Mrs. Batterslea informed 1 every “But then he must be eamping very near town,” [ objected. “He is,” Mrs. Batterslea went nd having a lovely time He moves camp sometimes twi a day, getting nearer his objective all the time. He expects to finish the trip within a few weeks now and be home Labor Day.” My curiosity by this time ‘al- most unbearable, I asked where in the world B. ing and movil and. still) rem to make five Mrs. Batterslea laughed. * the trip he takes every day said. “He's. waiting the public golf links to round of golf while the w fine.” terslea was camp- ron tw day —Cannott Carrow Especially During Arguments Taking home movies is some- thing rather bors have bey w, but our neigh- doing their own home broadcasting for some time. “What do the Iowans think of President Hoover's farm relief plans?” I don’t know. I haven't been in Los Angeles lately.” We know one thing: we'll never sit through a Chinese talking pic- ture. JUDGE “THE PAPER COMES FIRST” A TRAGEDY OF THE NEWSPAPER CAME ii sas Tya}@d | ‘ol CHIEF | / 4] YOUR WIFE _ a IS DYING! BUT CHIEF | YOUR BABY 15 DYING! WELL LO iy 0 PRESSE ON TIME, SCANLON! ORDERED SPEED THROUGH LLENLHED TEETH Step into the bathroom, folks, and I'll show you a clean pair of heels named Irma and Burma, “Pass me them papers!” hoarsed the hero, “I can't, they're at the blacksmith’: s " qua- vered the villain. “Aha, you're having them forged!” flayed Ferdinand. “No, I'm having ther filed!” sneered St. Clair. One more British drawl from a book-rev » and I'm off to Mt. Carmel to take the veil. The oasis,