Judge, 1893-12-09 · page 7 of 52
Judge — December 9, 1893 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a sentimental Christmas poem celebrating childhood innocence, illustrated with elegantly dressed women and children. The text is dedicated to "their Majesties the Children," personifying a young child (apparently aged three) as the "Christmas king." The satire is gentle: it contrasts children's pure faith in Christmas magic—their belief in Santa Claus and fairy tales—with adults' worldly cynicism. The poem argues that children possess a superior wisdom that educated adults have lost ("We are less wise the more we know"). The elegantly gowned female figures surrounding the child-king represent adult society pledging loyalty to childhood's superior moral clarity and wonder. This reflects late Victorian/Edwardian sentimentalism about children as vessels of truth and innocence—a common theme in Judge's holiday content, which often mocked adult pretension while celebrating childlike virtue.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Lines to their Majesties the Children, to whom this book is dedicated, r IDE is the world, but there's no place ‘That is closed to the glow of Christmas grace. There is no emperor, czar or queen To usurp the wealth of the Christmas green, Free as the air, love has its way In heart and home on the Christmas day, Yet to the Christmas king come we, Blue of blood and purple of gown, Purse-poor, but rich with our loyalty ; Gifts for them all till they're loaded down. Glad of the light in his laughing eyes, Let them order and we-obey, * Hoarding his looks of coy surprise, Let them govern on Christmas day ; King from the mountain-tops to the sea, Let us be loyal to them, and dear, King of the Christmas, aged three. As they are to us all round the year. royal youth That hath no doubt of the Christmas truth ; Wise in the faith of the fairy laws ‘That every year bring Santa Claus; Theirs is the purple that we outgrow— We are less wise the more we know. 1. at, GREcoRY, comicbooks.com