Judge, 1894-08-25 · page 5 of 16
Judge — August 25, 1894 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1890s Judge magazine page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **"François Sees the Bowery"** is a comedic monologue by a French visitor recounting his misadventure in New York's notorious Bowery district. François, speaking in exaggerated French-accented English, describes being taken to a saloon ("mill of gin") where he's mistaken for someone named "the plum," gets into a fight, and is robbed—what locals call being "held up." The humor derives from his confusion over American slang and violent urban culture, contrasting Continental sophistication with rough American street life. **Top cartoons** satirize summer resort social disappointment—women eagerly awaiting fashionable male visitors, only to be let down. **"They Obeyed"** (bottom) appears to depict Parson Jackson ordering respectably-dressed African Americans to stop kissing in a theater's back seat, invoking segregation-era racial control. The satire's exact point is unclear from context alone, but likely comments on racial attitudes or church authority of the period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT AT THE SUMMER-RESORT, ‘Hal! at last here come men in a tally-ho !" FRANCOIS SEES THE BOWERY. FRANCOIS has been led into temptation and is melan- choly in consequence. In addition to an unusually lugubrious expression his face was adorned with a discol- ored eye this morning. Not wishing to contribut: any additional bitterness to his cup of gall, I refrained from questioning him touching the eclipsed orb, believing that he would soon volunteer an explanation. My prophecy was fulfilled. “ Monsieur,” he began at length, as he strapped the razor, “have you seen ze—ze—w'at you call ze Bowery ?” I confessed to having once passed through that cele- brated thoroughfare, when he continued, “Link eet eez vaire bad place, monsieur. O'Rourke, alet of ze alderman next door, say to me last night, have you ze elephant seen?” I say to heem, monsieur I have often ze elephant seen—in ze menagerie.’ Zen he laugh till I vink he will hes sides split.‘ Hully chee!" he say. I know not such a saint in ze calendar, mais he say ‘Hully chee.’ Zen he say, ‘ You are not in eet.’ I tell heem I hope [ s‘all never be in ze elephant. Zis cause heem to laugh encore, and zen he say to me, ‘Come wiz me; I show you ze elephant in ze Bowery.” eez one fine menagerie zat he will to me show, and go wiz heem. Ze first place he take me was a café, you tink, monsieur ? DOWN. fat remedy, to be taken regularly every night during the warm months. tent applied for. I vink eet W'at “at he call sieur? THEY OBEYED. Pa. held down, mais he say ‘held up.” Surely I go home, m: “Oh, gracious!” ze—ze—mill of gin; ouissi ze joint. 1 know not w'y zey call ect ze joint, mais zat eez w'at he call eet. Ze place was crowd wiz ze ragamuffin, ze tough, ze sans culotte. I see at once zat eet eez not au fait, and so I tell my companion. ‘O'Fay?’ he exclaim. ‘Of course not ; cet cez O'Brady' “Bien, w'en we get inside ze crowd call out to my comrade and say, ‘ Hello, O'Rourke! w'ere have you got ze plum?" And zey look at me, by wich I know zey refer to myself. [no like zat, I have not ze appearance of ze plum, Mais my companion say to zem, ‘ He cz no plum —he cez a parly-voo, and dead green. See?’ Zis I do not comprehend, mais I know zat I have been insult, and start to leave ze place, but half a dozen jump in my way and say,‘ No, you don't, cully, till yez blow us off!" 1 know not w'at cez zat, mais I struggle to get out of ze place, and finally succeed, but not until I have receive ze black eye, ouissi several bruises. Wren I get outside I tell ze officaire. He look at me wiz contempt and say, ‘Take a walk, young feller; you're too fresh for dese parts.’ Zen I tell heem zat my purse and my watch are gone, and he say, “You have been held up.” “1 know not all zis, monsieur. I know I have been Wiat language call you zis, mon- eet eez not ze English as I have eet rid in ze book, Zen I have seen no elephant.” MAROLD PAYNE Parson Jackson—" Mr, Snowball an’ Miss Crystal, in de back seat, lef'-han’ comer, will please ' discontinue dat osculatin’ programme, under penalty ob comicbooks.com