Judge, 1896-12-19 · page 32 of 46
Judge — December 19, 1896 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines sentimental poetry with satirical humor typical of *Judge* magazine's Christmas content. **Main Narrative ("A Christmas Carol"):** A sentimental poem about class divide—a poor boy playing violin in the snow captivates a wealthy woman at her window. She gives him her mistletoe spray; he treasures it. The illustration shows this poignant encounter. **Satirical Sections Below:** - **"Appropriate Christmas Presents"**: Biting jokes about stingy gift-giving—regifting cheap cigars to indifferent acquaintances; giving unwanted advice to those in trouble. - **"Knew Where He Was"**: A quip about Santa Claus's rushed efficiency (New York to Chicago). - **Bottom illustrations**: Three allegorical Christmas "spirits"—Holly, Snow, and Mistletoe—personified as elegant women. The page contrasts sentimental Christmas ideals (the touching violin scene) with cynical social commentary about actual holiday behavior—miserliness, insincerity, and transactional relationships among the wealthy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Christmas Judge. Wren the carols of Christmas were sweet in the air, And the red-berried holly aglow, From a bare little attic he came to the hall And shivered and played in the snow. The frost of the morning was white in his curls, And his jacket was tattered and thin, And the hunger and cold of his spirit he told In the notes of an old violin. She opened the window and leaned from the sill, Her fingers were jew- eled and white ; But she gazed in the eyes of the player below Till her own were as mourn- fully bright. She took from the sables that folded her breast The mistletoe spray that she wore, And it fell at his feet, and he hid it away In his coat as he turned from the door. In the dust-covered strings of his old violin, As it hangs on the bare attic wall, Is twisted the mistletoe brittle and brown, And ready in fragments to fall. And she, as she leans from her window alone, While the holly is twining below, On the morning of Christmas still s A player who stands in the snow. at the door, MINNA IRvEKG. APPROPRIATE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS. WHEN the man who never notices you at any other time wishes you a merry Christmas, present him with one of the cigars your wife gave you. x 7 KNEW WHERE HE WAS. To the unfortunate man who wishes you to get him out of a scrape SANTA CLAUS (as he sights the stocking: the cheapest thing to do is to give him your advice. quick trip I drove from New York to Chicago. Three Christmas spirits smile—and, lof Next, ermine-clad, with face aglow, Then, last—but first in hearts, I trow, The jolly //ol’y leads the row. Behold the airy fairy Snow, The kiss-inviting Mistletoe, ’ comicbooks.co