Judge, 1892-12-03 · page 37 of 52
Judge — December 3, 1892 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Judge* magazine satirizes wealthy suburbanites' fear of socialist agitators during the early 20th century. The main cartoon "The Warning" depicts a nervous wealthy man who receives a threatening letter on April Fools' Day. Convinced it's a genuine threat, he becomes paranoid that every stranger—particularly a poorly-dressed man following him—is a dangerous socialist revolutionary intent on robbery or worse. The joke's irony: the "socialist agitator" is actually just a helpful commuter trying to follow the same train route. The suburbanite's class anxiety causes him to misread innocent behavior as sinister. The accompanying vignettes reinforce this theme of middle-class fear of working-class radicals and labor activism, which were genuine social anxieties in America during this era of growing socialist movements and labor unrest.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WEALTHY SUBURRANITE (reading ketter\—"" A! as this is the first of April, some idiots think they will fool me with th's threatening letter. They will feel flat when they see me walking to the station as usual.” SocraListic actraToR—"* Late, sure; but I'll get that train if, he does.” FAVORABLE INDICATIONS. Hunker —"Nou Yook happy. Spatts. Spatts—" Wall, 1 feel pretty and been accepted? Let me con- spatls—* No, not exact! but makes my id to read those tories about how the. poor tramp of the innocent days of hood by the Christmas fes- nonsense, ‘inter all the e work-house.” Cheecago. THE WARNING. SoctatisttcaGiTAToR — * My friend, can you show me the shortest way ter the railway station ?* UBURBANITE— * Jist fol low that gent goin’ along there ; he goes ter the city every day, and he'll take yer to the station in time fur the SoctAListic AGITATOK—"* Takin’ a short cut, eh?” WEALTHY SUBUKUANITE: (men- tally recalling the threatening letter as he glances around) —** That's a bad-looking fellow behind me. Hor- rors! I believe he's following me.” Weattiy supurvastre, (from straw heap)—"* My deat, good fellow, don't, pray don't’ harm’ me, and Til give you every cent and more demand in your letter.” AT THE REAR OF THE BOOTH. Hoxstirx—"* Dis vos mein daughder, der Rebecca, Mister Hochs, ohf We hov time for a few more pfifls, 1 —" We hov, Lind me the loan av a loight. THE Ven you vands anydings in der lemonade line youst gom arount here; she fills you up fer noddings.”” NEW FOREMA ‘Tutt FOREMAN SOCIALISIIC AGITATOR (zeith half- audible mutter)—* Guess his luggs is a little late, from the way he’s steppin’ ip? Soctatastic me, if I hain’t bin April-fooled ! go back and lick that frivolous old jay if T wasn’t always a advocater uf peacefal methods. THE PROPER GREETING. tied on the twenty-fifth nber 2" Carolyn (with a blush)—" Yes.” Marguerite—"Then let me wish you a marry Christmas.” NOT NEW TO HIM. Maddox (surveying a store full of women doing Christmas shop- ping)—" Did you ever see such en- ergetic scuffling ? Gazzam—"Oh, yes; 1 saw t last Yale-Princeton foot-ball 1 AN UNFEELING MAN. ent?” asked Mrs. Cumso cf her husband. “ About fifty dollars to pay for mine,” replied the wretch. * One o'clock, theyre !" comicbooks.com