Judge, 1895-12-14 · page 16 of 16
Judge — December 14, 1895 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical cartoon about technological disruption and rural employment. "Snowshoe Sam," depicted as a Maine woods guide, watches in dismay as "snow bikes" (early motorized snow vehicles) whirl past. His complaint—that another traditional occupation is being "kerflummoxed" (disrupted)—reflects genuine early-20th-century anxieties about mechanization replacing skilled labor. Sam had planned to earn money teaching wealthy tourists ("tenderfeet") the difficult skill of snowshoe travel. The joke satirizes both the guide's obsolescence and the wealthy urbanites' rush to adopt newfangled machinery over traditional methods. The cartoon captures a recurring American tension: industrial progress versus rural livelihoods, mechanization versus craft knowledge. It's emblematic of Judge's satirical commentary on technological change and class conflict during this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
E ie) o n x ° fo) a 2 E 5 cs) ASTOR Socket: AWahaims Luho Co Kew Tork IN THE MAINE WOODS. SNowSHOE SAM (the guide, as the snow bikers” suddenly whirl into view) —"* Great Caribou ! thar’s another occupashun kersozzled, an’ I a’ figgerin’ ter make my pot this winter larnin’ them tenderfeet the trick of snowshoe lopin’.””