Judge, 1894-04-14 · page 5 of 16
Judge — April 14, 1894 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects brief satirical sketches typical of Judge's humor circa the 1890s. Key items: **"Ground for His Belief"** mocks women's suffrage opponents by having one cite "Sorosis" (a women's club) as proof women would bicker if given the vote—circular logic the cartoon ridicules. **"English Tea and Muffins"** satirizes American class-consciousness: a child describes English "tiffin" (afternoon tea) as weak, tasteless, and consisting only of "toasted dough"—deflating pretensions about English refinement. **"The Bicycle Fiend"** jokes darkly that a man who killed "more'n fifty people" remains free because he's still learning to ride a bicycle—contemporary fear of this new technology as dangerous. **"Uncle Mose"** presents a racist caricature of a Black man laughing about unemployment, portraying poverty as amusing rather than serious. Other sketches cover self-satisfaction, education, and the Wilson tariff bill. The humor relies on period prejudices and now-dated social anxieties about technology, women's rights, and class.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE GROUND FOR HIS. BELIEF. ‘sYOU think, then, that if women had the suffrage there would be endless bickerings and jealousies and heart- aches ?” “That's my belief.” “On what do you base your opinion?” * Look at Sorosis.” ENGLISH TEA AND MUFFINS. Mamma—"So you took ‘tiffin’ with your little English friends, did you, Bobby? And what had you to eat and drink?” Bobby—" We had just the same as the big folks. I didn’t like the tea very much, It tasted a little like the catnip-tea nurse makes for baby, and it wasn’t much stronger than ‘kettle-tea,’ and you know I’m tired of that; but the eating was some very nice toasted dough.” “A SKIN GAME." HIS PLANS. Farmer (to A PHILOSOPHER. CotoxeL HAHDuPP—"' What are you laughing at, uncle?” ‘ Unciz. Mosk—"I'se laffin’ t't'ink I hain’t got no job, sab.” young thief) Cotonex Hanpurr—' I don't see the point.” —" What are Uncie Mose—"* De m jes’ heah, sah, Ef T had a job you doing dese.yar times I'd ceder be gittn’ fired or expectn' tbe gittin’ fied, sewer theo Bitin’ mah pay rejuiced, an’ I'd be perfickly misabul. tree with that apple?” Bright boy— Please, sir, | was just going to climb up the tree to put back this apple, which I see has fallen down.” CHANSONS DE NUIT. [ SEE the lights of the city Down in the rain and the mist, Such songs have power to riot, To madden and to kill, THE BICYCLE FIEND. Bronco Pete—" Thet ‘And a feeling of madness comes o'er me That my soul cannot resist. Thear a familiar music ‘That is sung by a home-bound throng Of squires and ladies marching The city streets along. As the lines of a famous poet Come back to me at will : “And the knights shall be filled with music, And their dames in bright array Shall sing the same songs over That the street Arabs sang all day.” thar man thar has’ killed more'n fifty people.’ TENDERFOOT—"* Good- ness! Why is he allowed at liberty ?* Bronco P: . yer see he killed accidentally, He's been lamin’ ter ride er bicycle.” J) amu, IN A CO-EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION. +4] T'S too bad those two sophomores got married and left college. They're only half educated.” “Oh, no, Two halves make a whole. They'll do.” TOO SELF-COMPLACENT. 'HE man had been raising a disturbance and the bar-keeper had about made up his mind to put him out of the place. “T'll throw him into the street in about a minute if he doesn’t keep quiet,” he said. “Oh, I wouldn't if I were you,” said one of the patrons with a solemn shake of his head. “Why not?” “He's too self-com- placent.”” “What has that to do with it?” “Everything. He's not easily put out. He's a retired pugilist, you know.” A HORRIBLE EXAMPLE Farwer’s wire—"* Why don't you reform?” Hevvy Warrez—“' Kin yer ask dat, ma‘am, after seein’ de horrible effects of “BAD TIMES,” de Wilson bill?” comicbooks.com |