Judge, 1896-07-11 · page 5 of 16
Judge — July 11, 1896 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Judge* magazine contains several short satirical pieces reflecting late 19th/early 20th-century American humor: **"Cuba's Plea"** (top left): A poignant poem where Cuba, personified as a suffering "little sister," appeals to the United States ("Great brother") for military intervention against Spanish colonial oppression. This references the Spanish-American War era (1898), when American public opinion increasingly favored supporting Cuban independence. The remaining content consists of brief joke vignettes typical of *Judge*'s humor: children's logic, marital banter, puns on "no noose is good news," and ethnic dialect humor (the "Mrs. Jackson" piece uses exaggerated African American vernacular, common but now-offensive comedic convention of the era). **The satire's point**: Cuba's eloquent, emotional plea contrasts sharply with the trivial, lighthearted jokes filling the rest of the page—perhaps subtly critiquing American indifference to serious geopolitical suffering, or simply juxtaposing high and low comedy as *Judge* typically did.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
uae CUBA'S PLEA. . y REAT brother, strong brother, turn thine eyes this way; T crouch amid the dripping palms and hold. the hounds at bay. Behind me on the level plains the smoke ascails the sky, And every day a hundred men in hopeless struggles die. My little sister, lo! mine ears are open to thy cry. Great brother, strong brother, oh, thine arms are wide. Two oceans bathe thy finger- tips with each returning tide. Thy head amid the northern snows with frost is white and hoar, While o'er thy feet with tropic warmth the gulf-<ides softly pour. My little sister, shame is mine have not loved thee Great brother, wise brother, schooled a hundred years, Scarred by inward cruel wars and heavy-eyed with tears, A half a million hero dead by mountain, lake and sea— Wise brother, great brother, think, oh, think of me! My little sister, lands that bleed and watch and pray are free. Great brother, kind brother, why so mighty grown If all thy wisdom, wealth and power are felt by thee alone? Big brother of the western world, we joy in all thy gain, But thou shouldst feel in every nerve thy weaker brother's pain. My little sister, by the Lord, thou hast not plead in vain, ‘A. T. WORDEX. POWER OF THE MASCOT. HAT is the reason of this unseemly wrangle?" asked the old gentleman. Well, yer ‘see, dese kids want us ter play ball; but Billy McCarty’s mudder wouldn't let our mascot come wid us, an’ we're fraid ter tackle ‘em widout ‘im.” AN ADAGE PROVED TRUE. HAVE here a pardon for you from the governor,” said the sheriff to the cold-blooded murderer. “An,” replied the latter. proverb says.” “No noose is good news, as the ** What a queer little fellow ! { i PROBABLY A BASE-BALL: BLUFF. | *Lwould like to go to my grand- mother’s funeral this afternoon.” “Is she dead again?" HER SURPRISING DISCOVERY. +s P)OODNESS!” said Margie, looking at a pile of hav, “zere’s a lot of dwass wiz ze paint all wubbed off.” STRIVING TO PLEASE, SSYVHAT would you do, Ww dear, if | were to di asked Mrs. Darley fondly. “I don't know,” replied Darley, thoughtfully, Which is your choice—burial or crema- as THE CHILD-MIND. AFTER searching high and low for the bellows Edith finally approached her mother with the query, “Mamma, do you know where are the lungs with the handles on ‘em ?” MY MISTAK I thought, look- ing at the man opposite me in the car— VERY NATURAL. MRS. JACKSON (after the honeymoon)—"" Whad makes yo" so glum toe-night, Jimmie?” Mr. Jaci I'd married yo Mrs. Jac Mx. Jacks —" W'y, Abe Hardcase jes’ said he wuz delighted toe heah dat Well, dat’s natural, ain't it?” I's afraid so, We's deadly enemies, yo" know.” THE AMENITIES OF LIFE. ++] HEAR Bilk has put up some new houses in your neigh- borhood.” “Yes; and he's ruined the neighbor hood with them.” “ He said you had spoiled it with those houses of yours. * Now isn’t it just like Bilk’s meanness to say a thing of that kind about a fellow he's known all his life?” HE WAS IN- SPIRED. 66 PRINTLEY broke the long- distance running rec- ord, did he not?” "He did; we told him just as he started that his wife had sent for him to beat a car- ret.” ——when the "little" fellow arose.