Judge, 1890-12-20 · page 6 of 16
Judge — December 20, 1890 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains multiple satirical pieces typical of late 19th-century American humor: **"An Ignorant House-Hunter"** mocks real estate deception—a woman complains a "Swiss cottage" is actually a hovel, and the agent defensively claims the cow-stable in the basement makes it authentically Swiss. **"Questionable Service"** is a four-panel comic strip showing a doorman repeatedly failing to provide adequate shelter to clients in the rain, depicted through increasingly absurd situations. **The poetry club dialogue** satirizes German immigrants' pretentious cultural claims while speaking broken English. A poet is literally silenced and ejected by club members who ridicule his verses as incomprehensible, reducing his philosophical arguments to crude practicality (sausage and pig's feet). **"Nothing Gained"** jokes that a Black girl's education at normal school hasn't improved her appearance—her hair remains "kinky"—mocking both education's limitations and perpetuating racist stereotypes about Black hair. The page reflects period attitudes toward immigrants, gender, race, and class through crude humor now considered offensive.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“STILL THERE’S MORE TO FOLLOW.” HE FORGOT again to shut it, though he'd oft been warned before, And a notice not to do so had been pasted on the door; The cold wind blew the clippings through the whiskers of the ed, And he rose and grabbed the towel and stabbed the intruder dead. AN IGNORANT HOUSE-HUNTER. Lady (looking for a cheap suburban home) —" Mercy on me! You advertised this as a Swiss cottage. It’s nothing but a hovel, What is there Swiss about it ?” Agent (with dignity) —" You will observe, madam, that the cow-stable is in the basement.”* from his part. ~ Shtob dot poem !" roared the chairman, rapping fiercely with the wooden leg ; “‘no bolitics vos allowed in dis club inside.” “Excuse me, gents; I had supposed I was addressing a party of native, free-born Amer- icans; but if you say stop, down the muses come off the perc “Vot gindt of boetry you call dot — Longfellow, Goethe, Schiller, or plank verse?" asked Dittenhofer loftily. “Shuck it in der shtofe unt pooty guick she vill be Browning,” said Strauss. “Aha, a pun! Well, gents, I see I have encountered the mob where I expected to greet kindred spirits. _ Very well. I am not used to walking and my relatives reside in Fifth avenue. If any gent had a nickel for car-fare, as it is too late to cash a check at the bank "— * Mine frent,” said Strauss, “I vos onto you. I vill not pounce you, aber you nefer earned a cent, unt your handts got as easy atime as a Tammany bolitician’s pible. 1 vill emdy dis blate AN ACCIDENTAL IMPROVEMENT. off pologna unt dis blate off pigs’ feet in your pocket unt you can light right away oudt.”” His TeacHer—" How prettily you have your hair The poet removed his hat and said,“The German mind has atheistic and even egotic ten- "ranged this morning.” . Pi ., ry * ALBro Desrarp—‘‘It must look better'n it feels. dencies, and in the realm of poetry is vague and incomprehensible; but reduced to sausage and peas ete : 5 4 at's where marm grabbed me when she pulled me out'r pigs’ feet it is practical. ‘Tra-la-loo !" and he gracefully slid out. Act, WORDEN. d this mornis WARNING. Dext write to a married wo- man! No advice than this is better ; For correspondent and co- respondent Differ but by a letter. EASILY HOLDS THE PLACE. oe HO is the first lady in Ww the land after Mrs. Harrison ?” “Annie Rooney.” MR. GREATHEAD. AbtTHoucH aside he reason flings, He looks at you so bland, The while he reasons out the things Ife cannot understand. NOTHING GAINED. First colored child (proud- ly) —" Mah sistah Dinah she's been frou de normal school an’ she’s got ‘er deploma, an’ now she’s a cultured young lady wif a finished edication.” Second colored child — “Pooh! Her hair am jest as QUESTIONABLE SERVICE, kinkly as evah.” comicbooks.com