Judge, 1892-05-14 · page 4 of 18
Judge — May 14, 1892 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical sketches typical of late 19th-century American humor: **"How It Happened"** mocks an Anglophile dancer who adopts affected mannerisms from his British dancing-master, unable to break the habit. **"His Legal Diplomacy"** features a Black defendant using literal interpretation of a cookbook's instructions as a defense for stealing a chicken—satirizing both the absurdity of legalistic arguments and period racial stereotypes common in Judge. **"Just to Boom Trade"** shows a playing-card manufacturer spreading rumors about the Prince of Wales visiting America to stimulate business—mocking both commercial hype and celebrity obsession. **"Tardy Election Returns"** references post-Reconstruction election challenges, with Democratic operatives intimidating Black voters through a stuttering official, reflecting real disenfranchisement tactics of the era. **"A Warning to Employers"** and **"A Preventive Policy"** are workplace humor sketches about miscommunication and insurance. The page emphasizes Judge's typical comedic targets: pretension, commercial duplicity, and racial caricature accepted as standard humor in its era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HOW IT HAPPENED. Say, old fellah, what makes you hop so when you dance ?* Tumtry—" Why, ‘my last dancing-master wished me to; and I can't get ‘over it, dontcherknow.” His Last DANCING-MASTER—"* Hop higher there, you —— — tender- foot.” HIS LEGAL DIPLOMACY. Culprit — Yes, sah, I tuck de chicken. Iwas gwine ter make some chicken-pie, and I tuck de cook-book and read de direcshuns and hit say, ‘Take one chicken.’ Hit don’t say buy one chicken, or borry one chicken. Hit say take one chicken, Hit don’t say whose chicken ter take, so I jess tuck de fust one I could lay han’s on. I follered de direcshuns in de book, sab.” JUST TO BOOM TRADE. Manufacturer of playing-cards —" Busine I have thought of a scheme to start trade agai Friend —" Will it work?” Manufacturer —" Ob, yes. I've started a rumor to the effect that the prince of Wales is coming over this summer?” is very dull, but TARDY ELECTION RETURNS, epntkornek Jackson —""T sipose yo" voted de straight ticket agin, Bruder phram.” Bxotier Eriram—'""Deed, no! Didn't git no chance. De Democrats had Cunnel Huxton dere to challenge de votes, an’ a hund’ed an’ fo" ob us didn’t vote. f I nebber hearn him talk wuss, an’, Lordie, how he kin stutter!" A WARNING TO EMPLOYERS. Mr. Hardcash (sic~ tating letter to traveling salesman) — “ Why the deuce do you send in such unintelligible telegrams? Tl be blanked if | know —excuse me a minute, Miss Pencille; I've got to go out and talk to this man.” Mr, Hardcash (re- turning) —" Now we will resume, Miss Pencille, What did I say last?" Miss Pencille (vead- ‘I'll be blanked if ENTIVE POLICY. Did yez say yer Denny's loife is not insured 7” * Naw indade."" Mr, Hardeash— —** Bedad, an’ him a workin’ on th’ rocks wid th’ blasths ges. the sporting editor, thought he “had «What! Oh, ah, yes, | an’ things. Shure, Moike has his loife insured, or, bedad, many's the toime he'd ‘em™ the other evening, in Delma 's,when he c=eqwhat the 1 1 n_ kilt long ago. Th’ other day a blasth wint off before he knowed it, an’ happened to look at a lady sitting next to the Se¢—" What the Inclosec divil a scheratch did he git. Loife insurance is a foine institution, amd prevints mirror. means. many a leddy bein’ a widdy before her toime.”* comicbooks.com