Judge, 1887-10-29 · page 10 of 16
Judge — October 29, 1887 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes pretentious American literary culture and the nouveaux riche. The main piece, "A Recent Circumstance" by James Dean of Howells, mocks affected writing about wealth and social climbing. The framing dialogue at top features magazine editors debating whether American novels are artistically worthwhile or merely commercial products. One character dismisses them as lacking merit compared to European literature. The story itself ridicules wealthy Americans obsessed with status symbols—a nouveau riche businessman's mansion filled with ostentatious furnishings, his daughter in expensive clothes, his concern with "society." The dialogue parodies overwrought literary language ("tenderloin lurks in the face") applied to banal situations. The second section satirizes sentimental pastoral writing, with characters employing flowery language to describe nature while remaining fundamentally shallow and materialistic. Overall, Judge mocks both pretentious American writers attempting European sophistication and the newly wealthy imitating old-money refinement—suggesting American letters and society lack authentic substance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SULDGLE re s In “all other walks in lites prature little drizzie. Said Harkins dreamily, © Did you ever ponder why sl or green parrots or ruffed grouse were worth more t “Gd said the president in rkins, “the ‘our premise and con in torrent, and yet amid the f fellow and wspaper realm cler sweetly sings y st i Phere cannot be an overs t which 18 good. said Bostick, ‘some of thes ion Boston oft poetry a Hapa then question whether our novelis 8 are plumbers i specting ts sinks or artists takin note of beau ties. Are they on the sant pen is mightier than the sword,” said the president, 1 some of our writers seem to have been brougl.t up in on everybod a trough. [have herea popular American ‘ioeel handed to me this evening.” A RECENT CIRCUMSTANCE, By James. Dean of Howells. Letter Gogal Lager 3) Liam Copy. 1 The house stood on one of the principal streets, there. It is built on the 1 Hake. It is meretric y rpets with a pile like their owner c ray the windows shut out the garish sunshin more and more gare every summer A arse man sits brooding at an eseritoire in the midst of this meretrici ious splendor. He He Wears trousers: md a His coat is a floor sits a tall American dresses in this. w The heavy silk drape the floors. All right,” said the president, “I will skip itafter this and admit the fact.” ly girl dressed inv skyblue silk enters on tiptoe. Her With diamonds, which would be all right on a blue but look lady, Te. yelled the liste: * Rats! nerican girl. 5 "She screams in a high * Oh, Sarl am sad because 1 money was made on por! mb crieth out of the beam. istar-spangled man replied annot Tift me into soci ‘The hamerieth out of the wall Tenderlc ful of Plymouth-rock ¢ naire gathered his daughter in his arms, her, and sobl * Paw from her decollette dress, railroad.” d the proud he was ripe enough disengaged on your name to Sniyth II Itis autumn. A hectic flush is on the ly beat two pairs. Goldenrod is blooming arly forgot it. The tat, woodland, long the wall, We unmeaning landscape is dotted with two- vy Queen Anne co ue cots of Europe. wh ich down the chimney re the prosaic e hogs and corm and ap nor ait andes great oaks which somebody else owns, or live as people do in the pictures whic hh come with boxes of Malaga raisins. Over this scene wanders a nn with spect: 1 her side wanders a youth of thirty dry shirred undergarment and blue d New York farmers dress this way Willis brundusinum ¢ is; yew mean them ere blue-bells And oh, William! on the wall yonder the catuleptica pilgri- in villas, so unlike the pictur- ut, when he goes out Vv isiting, can ew mean. them ere snowdrops.” : nd now see on yonder tall rock the fombar. dicus de William, ean you get me the dear fombardicus de catolic at cums. A smothered scream wa appearance ward and her 1 a ng TIL ohn Smythe. the president of the Krosskut « s. His only daughter, Sadie ngs to his rural trainin sto wat now salts Gown his millions inst His canvas now lit instead of covering su He aid lus ancestors did ne over with the pilgrims, but he has come it over: of their descendants since then for a large s With a compla comicbooks.com