Judge, 1889-12 · page 15 of 53
Judge — December 1889 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Section:** Two cartoon panels satirizing character assessment through handwriting. A professor of "character-in-handwriting" (graphology) analyzes a correspondent's writing, declaring it shows "manly self-assertiveness" and leadership qualities—traits fitting either a "great statesman or soldier." The joke appears to mock the pseudoscience of handwriting analysis and its absurd pretensions to judge character. **Bottom Section:** "An Irish Story with a Moral" uses heavy Irish dialect and stereotypical characters (Micky, Patsy, Corney Cassidy) in a narrative about rural mischief. The story involves borrowed pigs, property damage, and confusion leading to physical altercations. This reflects period anti-Irish stereotyping common in American satire—depicting Irish immigrants/rural Irish as crude, dishonest, and prone to violence—presented as comic entertainment for contemporary readers. Both sections exemplify Judge's satirical approach: targeting pseudoscience above, ethnic caricature below.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AS NEAR AS HE COULD COME TO IT. PROFESSOR OF CHARACTER-IN-HANDWRITING (answering a communi cation) —"* My dear sir: Your chirography gives evidence of a maaly self. assertiveness, a rugged masculinity, and great ability to act as a leader of the masses. It strikes me that you would make either a great statesman or a great soldier, “Yours truly, "To E, Hocksox, Esq.” “A, FAIKER, Shure Micky Doctan and his brotiier Patsy wereas bilve one an: shes Se ays in a ayladre ihe Jemokocins And whin Mick, B was Lavin? the counthry Patsy bought his farrum av him for foive shilline? Fhix the ceatur thought dasa {pine bargain he was makin. Arawbacks te it edad! The first to call eachin was be host, of ‘constable é ran wid holes: in him laike a iean house that Mick had malewa *s 4 A) Some more av the Bhoys paid Then Comey Cassidy looked in, the next mornin} to ask forhis pigs that Micky had borrowed the loan ay, unbeltnown te him. Begor! the spalpeen Knocked vintilators in the farrum-house wid Patsy: Teak and danced on his shirt{ront Like Donnybrook for he tuk him for that thafe o”the wurrld Mick! Vv, Tima visit thenoightafther and Test their cyarrds at the doore, Begorra! whin Patsy < sought av em he thought hed de Sither lavin’ the dithrick. But, somehow, a the lastmoment, AN IRISH STORY WITH A MORAL,