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Judge, 1884-04-26 · page 3 of 16

Judge — April 26, 1884 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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Judge — April 26, 1884 — page 3: Judge, 1884-04-26

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# Analysis for Modern Readers This page from *Judge* magazine presents "Mary Nally's Situation," a first-person narrative by an Irish domestic servant complaining about her employer's household. **The Social Commentary:** The piece satirizes the plight of live-in servants in late 19th-century America, particularly Irish immigrants. Mary details her grueling conditions: she's worked down to near-starvation ("Every day I get bigger and baulder on her, and every day she gets smaller"), endures constant physical demands, and receives minimal compensation and respect. **The Satire's Target:** Rather than mocking Mary, *Judge* exposes the hypocrisy of wealthy employers who claim to treat servants well while systematically exploiting them—denying them adequate food, personal time, and dignity. Mary's sardonic tone ("I can't help") underscores the powerlessness of working-class women trapped in servitude. **Visual Context:** The accompanying sketches show domestic scenes emphasizing the physical toll and social hierarchy between mistress and servant. This reflects *Judge's* occasional progressive stances on labor exploitation, though presented through ethnic dialect humor typical of the era.

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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

of me advertisement, compinded in tions by Shady O'She That was the shtyl compiled, pinned, ‘ar who kem with han sche me to this blis the people are free nd only the oppr s Thad beyant a s in New York thim d that [approved of n every Thu s if Feud abear | guy me any imy enin, if she all of thim wi to be kep in doors a wh he dure purty lively say 1 was to have Tsmiled and save toa no fe T can’t help,” alone and my frind ther sorra wan word | rine man, t dacent body—otter keepin an indure man sin rate likin for 1 some talk we Map up tu ed handed and | there’sn greed, and T tanld | take anc her to send a couppee round for meself and | the tay wint and to sind the | only flavoured betther protic- | she was the wariest crathur ivir to thrain int and often and me thrunk on inside man ou she sint it, © it some d risen afther a la t to the house I found | are all purty’ well p know no betther, Hed it down to the kitch- | ever I was « ther the where lory be nd four sy 1 wan didn’t and another y eves and’s family At fust she'd her at all. So to wear ca rl like 1 didn’t. know than the likes fi r jacket *Will thin, out of their » Tl let » followers | hered the fat anc ws they | And the soup mate supp , | sicond wath as Lkud sce. | strong for them to 1 t twelve | vent gurl sthr , owin nd tr guy out, re swore | till | and the what was betther th: in that fear lin THE JUDGE. I'll be riddy to attind to you in fifteen min- er on her, and eviry day s ow | now, a murphy better and neither did th 1 ion Phin she wanted an account rindh » fat and the soup mate td it to the olema it Thad no notion to till Shady, the er ip is his only they objict up sthairs to the from the ring T can dhress too t thur, has no teeth, and “s r frake and want to know how why wan bottle of brandy ss for three puddins. | keep down the misthre was riddy to turn it still T held Land lave her there »ption, | me whist, for I was makin hay ° thrifles that I | of mone says I to meself, | and the inside man was y, and put thim | for he alwa s, for the crathur is | fixed him pork and beans for supper, and , thin I wint and kemas I like id of kept me aisy, “d die for me when I ne Thad Sh and dhrinkin all, [ had the mis- nd dhread of me that Idone. Eviry day I get and bauld- gets smaller mildher, ivery poi and whin we pa rigrit [ lave a rale quite well thrained woman to thim that kums afther m I'm in dhread Pil have to dismis very mast vin ‘round dhread he'll do me a rong says the food sit longer ivery week, is thrue—but what can I hav to run the kan, and whin thing Know Molly « Vl give the Mrs. a good hearin and a slice of me mind with regard to their mane thricks and a week's notice dacent ‘at _me own re the other evenin Twas jus bundle to Sha wall and then s it. Whin th fther handin a and he threw it over the pped to guy me a kiss for masthe jown he scen says, “Molly,” says he, y to be kissed for nothin, but that’s none of my conearn; but see you don’t buy them sweets with my beef and mutton.” I know by t token the game is nearly up. So blaze away, Molly Nally; and blind the mas ther, and feather your nest while can, I know them as have spent all their lives lookin for a fool 1 niver found one—so you're greatly blessed. Since writin’ the above [have had a blow out with masther. Ie missed his top-coat that I lent Sh to go home in last night, and of course he nearly riz the roof of the house and sed so many imperant things that I nearly hot him, and I tauld him up, plain tual that [ wudn’t live with him, mane, shakey wife if they offered me my it in gould, and he sed the sooner I was comicbooks.com