Judge, 1893-12-30 · page 5 of 17
Judge — December 30, 1893 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes **class pretension and snobbery** among young American women of modest means who aspire to gentility. The main feature, "Her Diary," mocks a salesgirl who considers herself a "lady" because she graduated grammar school and refuses domestic work—despite her family's poverty. The humor lies in her pretentious misspellings ("edjucationel," "hevens"), her desperate hope that her employer's son loves her, and her tragic death from exhaustion at retail work rather than accepting "degrading" household employment. The satire targets how she clings to social status markers while her actual circumstances deteriorate. The other comic pieces are brief one-liners: a foreign suitor's proposal, a poem about romantic estrangement, and a child's irreverent answer about "graces." The "Decoy Duck" story appears to reference hunting exploits. Overall, Judge ridicules American working-class women's aspirational class consciousness and their misguided rejection of practical work in favor of maintaining false dignity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE DECOY- DUCK; OR, HOW UNCLE 'RASTUS, ALTHOUGH HE HAD No GUN, GOT THERE ALL THE SAME, AN AMERICAN DE- VELOPMENT. HER DIARY. November 25—1 have become a saleslady © hevens that a young lady with my edjucationel advanteges should have to toile for a living, I a graduate of grammer school No. 140? I who was brought up as a lady and mother would never let me touch my hand to work. Poor thing she has not my edjucationel advanteges but she knows how to appreshiate them in me. that father should die and have his salery stopped and I should have to work ina store, but thank heven I am a saleslady anyhow and do not have to degrade myself by household work, I am a lady in spite of all, November 26—O hevens 1 wonder if my employ- ers son is falling in love with me, he looked at me three times to-day, and why shouldent it be, I have as much edjucationel advanteges as him and I am a lady and I know I am beautiful, only I haven't as much money as he has. November 27— Tam sure he loves me, he looked at me four times to-day, I JUDGE THE WORKINGS OF TIME. IME was, and not so long ago (Although it seems: an age, I know), Three times a week Her pretty little cottage home, From which I thought I'd never roam, T used to seek. I then was happy without doubt, And know not how it came about We fell away, I was to blame, unless I err, But now I only call on her On New-year's day. JAMES JAY O'CONWELL. ASKING A GREAT DEAL. THE LITTLE couNT—" Mees Bigelow—M-M-M-arian—I haf von larsh, grand favor to make request from you, leedle vife?" Vill you become my MAN’S OWN UNDOING. ALTHOUGH the year now atanend Has brought you neither fame nor pelf, Own up, however it may rend, You made it what it was yourself, HIS IDEA OF IT. Surtday-school teacher —" Bob- by, can you name the three graces ?” Botby—" Yes'm ; the world, the flesh and the devil.” am afraid this work is too much for me but I would rather die than do servents work. November 28—The doctor says the store will kill me and mother sugested that I might get a place in some nice family, O hevens I shall never forgive her, a lady with my edjucationel advanteges doing servents work! Let me die first and let my epitaff be—she lived a lady and she died a lady. THE SILENT REPLY. ByeNks—"' Well, old man, have you room for a Manhattan cocktail ?” 4. Decoy - puck —"‘A' x " dis nigger ‘Rastus. some purpkins?” December &—1 am sick in bed and may not live. It nearly broke my heart when I found that He did not love me, he passed me in the street without know- ing me O hevens, if I die I will have the consulation of knowing that I lived a lady although my work killed me, and never stooped to household work which might have saved my life, if I had not been a lady with edju- cationel advanteges I would have been well to-day but honer is better than life, fairwell. w. L RIORDON. QUALIFYING CONTEXT. “DPE WINKS says his transcendental poems ara not appreciated by the common herd.” “But he says a great French critic calls him the poet of the hereafter.” “And that Frenchman has written a book to dis- prove the existence of a future state.” comicbooks.com