Judge, 1889-01-26 · page 5 of 16
Judge — January 26, 1889 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces typical of 1880s-90s American humor: **"A Changed Township"** mocks rural dialect and demographic shifts. A Black driver in the South explains that a town named "Roggin's Corners" (after a man killed by train) is now inhabited entirely by people with the surname "Rhinders"—a joke about either immigration patterns or intermarriage creating homogeneous communities that rendered the original place name obsolete. **"Home Products"** depicts an elderly Black woman selling produce, playing on stereotypes about Southern agricultural labor. **"Inherited"** suggests a working-class child mimics his father's violence toward his mother—social commentary on domestic brutality and generational behavior. The remaining sketches are light romantic/domestic humor unrelated to politics. The dialect-heavy depictions of Black characters reflect the casual racism standard in period American magazines, though the rural Southern setting suggests these pieces primarily target rural white Americana rather than explicit racial commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE A CHANGED TOWNSHIP. SSLTIT'S a beamin’ mawnin’, sab.” I replied politely that it was, indeed, and looked up and down the platform for the friend who was to meet me at Roggin's Corners. I failed to see him, and the elderly darkey broke in again, “ P’raps yo's lookin’ fer a kinveyance t’ tote yo" ober d’ hill, I's got one yo’ kin hab fer a shill'n ;” and we struck a bargain. “I want to go to Mr. Rhinders’s house,” I said. “Yasir; me an’ ole Morg ‘ll jerk yo’ ober dere quicker. Git up. yo’ Dextah!" and he brought down a frayed-out whip on the poor beast’s haunches with a slap like a whale’s fluke. Morg moved one ear uneasily and the procession moved. Weknocked a half hourall to flinders getting over the hill, and just as I was about to get out and walk the driver stopped the systematic play of his whip, and turning suddenly around observed, “ Hit jes’ kimsacrost me, sah, which Mistah Rhinders does yo" wan’ ter see ?” ir. Elnathan Rhinders,” I replied. “Sorry yo" didn’ say so, sah, ‘deed I is, Dat house ober yander ‘s ockerpied by Mistah Carball Rhinders. Elnathan, he libs ‘bout a mile back on d’ post-road ‘tudder side d’ daypo, but we'll git dar, HOME PRODUCTS. AUNT Fanny (cohose vision is defective)—" How much do you charge for pineapples, my good woman?” sah, we'll git dar,” and he began to back around preparatory to turning. Look here, uncle !" I said, “just be sure you're right this time, There are no other Rhindersers here, are ther “Bress yo" heart, yes,” replied my Jehu, “ Dey’s John an’ Sam an’ Peleg, an’ Mose-ober- d'-creek, an’ Mase-top-o'-d’-hill, an’ Aunt Sally, down by d’ ole mill, an’ d’ twin sistahs an? Gran‘pa Rhinders, dat’s ‘sponsible fer d’ hull flock, an’ “Hold on!" I exclaimed. “Why in the Lord’s name did they call this place Roggin’s Corners when every individual inhabitant is named Rhinders ?” “ Dey wuz a man ob dat name killed by d° cyars heah one day a few yeahs ago, en d’ cit'zens kinder tumbled to it, ez bein’ fresh an’ new, an so eber sence hit’s bin Roggin’s.” “What's your name ?” “Oh, my nem’s Rhinders, xty-foh.” 1 fell back and Morg went on. jive T wuz adopted INHERITED. Kixp tany—"' Oh, what a naughty little boy you have! Doesn't he know its wrong to strike his mamma with that big stick ?" Prov sorneR—* Och, don't blame me choild, Mrs. Carter! He only does everything he sees his father do, bliss him! A DIALOGUE IN OLYMPUS. Jove—" Juno, what on earth's the matter ? What is all this talk I hear Of store clothes and shoulder-braces On Apollo Belvedere ? Juno—" Jove, we have been razzle-dazzled By those men in Norwich, Conn. They have forced our blushing Venus Earthly petticoats to don.” Jove—" Then, by thunder! they shall rue it, ‘And T'll make it pretty warm For those cranks who on Olympus Tried to spring a dress-reform.”* nL LaMrney. A PRUDENT MAID. “T think | would soon make an impression iss Prude if it wasn’t for that horrid parrot the parlor,” said De Jinks. at's all imagination,” replied Merritt, . “T've been there myself. If she cared anything for you she would throw a cover over the cage whenever you called.” SOLID FACT. Gages (to friend just rising from a sudden fall) —* What you got against that lamp-post 2” Wages (fee ave a strong im- pression that it Countess Hester (stREET) FRANGAPOLETTI (taking her family out for an airing)—"* Me no sella zis load. Frangapoletti kicka!”