Judge, 1896-08-08 · page 4 of 16
Judge — August 8, 1896 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page from *Judge* satirizes late-19th-century American economic debate, particularly the **free silver movement**—a major political issue of the 1890s. ## Main Cartoon: "Keeping Up with the Times" A well-dressed man approaches someone favoring free coinage of silver (demonetization of gold). Through flattery and false camaraderie, he engages the man in a discussion about how demonetizing silver would increase its purchasing power. The "reformer" then asks to borrow a nickel, exploiting his new acquaintance's sympathies. **The joke**: The cartoon mocks free-silver advocates as naive idealists whose abstract economic arguments are easily exploited by smooth-talking con men. The borrower represents predatory individuals who use monetary reform rhetoric as a pretense to extract money from believers. The page's other content includes society-page humor and jokes unrelated to this satire. This reflects *Judge's* skepticism toward populist economic movements of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
by Schloss. JUDG! FAVORITES. GRACE. KIMBALL. ‘The Zenda prisoner in chains we see, Yet who would not be prisoner to thee? Princess in very truth thou art, by grace Of ail the charms of manner, form and face; And when our hearts thy melting accents move, Who shall deny thou art a queen of love? WHAT MRS. PINCHUM SAYS OF HER BOARDER, MR. EATON. WITH his matton-chop whisker and cheek beefsteak, And other signs of the animal make— His pig-headed ways and his dogged mood, Ilis special genius for table food, For discovering everything that's good, I'm sure if you watch him on meal-time occasions, You'll say he is gifted with two corporations, And will think, with me, his very mentals Must be endowed with corporeal dentals— Perhaps, also, with regimentals, To judge from his uniform style of provision, If we only had a dissecting-knife Could touch the case without touching his life I'm morally sure, my friend, we would meet A second stomach in mental retreat, And you surely might say, being duly discreet, ‘That he has a very great mind —to eat. TARPLEY STARR. * What are you staring at, you rude boy 7” * Nothin’! Suage KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES. HE WAS shoddy genteel, but his politeness was impressive and he made a Chesterfieldian bow as I understand, sir, that you favor of the free coinage of silver?” “1 am,” replied the grave per- son with the chin-whiskers. “T rejoice that I made no mis- take. You are the gentleman 1 want to see. You represent my views. Butof course you appreciate that this great question involves many difficult points ?” The man with the chin-whiskers bowed. * Now here,” taking something from his pocket, “is a silver dime, worth, if I mistake not, one-tenth of a gold dollar?” “It is,” replied the other, “and “ if the metal had not been demone- tized its purchasing power might be greater.” “How much greater, may I ask?” “I should say fifty per cent.” “Ah, that is what I thought— that is what I thought. Think of the crime of 1873! The misery of it! Fifty per cent. would increase this ineffective dime to fifteen cents, and fifteen cents will fill a want while a simple dime is spurned. My friend, as a brother in the great cause of financial reform, I want you to free this piece of silver from the thraldom of the gold ratio by lending me a nickel.” ‘The man with thechin-whiskers dived wearily into his pockets and passed over the five cents, and the visitor bowed himself out and dis day in which to finish t the dom paint gives out.”” MATERIAL VS. TIME. GeNTLEMAN —" What is your hurry, Pat; haven't you all job ?* Pat —“' Begorra, Oi'm throyin’ to finish me job befoor appeared quickly into a saloon, where he demanded a larger glass on the score that he was drinking on a silver basis. NEAR-SIGHTED AUNT—"* Gr: fly! Where did you catch it ?" to dry. AN EXCUSABLE ERROR. jous me, Matilda, what a magnificent butter- Niece. —" Why, that’s my new bathing-suit, aunty—I pinned it up there Isn't it *chic'?” comicbooks'.cl