Judge, 1897-11-20 · page 16 of 16
Judge — November 20, 1897 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page uses autumn leaf-fall as a framework for social satire. The central jokes mock various character types and situations: **The wealthy man** who spent lavishly to make his maple tree bloom in spring now pays again to rake fallen leaves—absurd circular waste. **"Small boys turning over new leaves (for chestnuts)"** puns on the moral phrase about reformation; they're just after chestnuts, not self-improvement. **The theatrical performer** complains about reclining on theater seats with broken slats while romanticizing falling leaves—preferring nature to uncomfortable working conditions. **The young "Sprout"** nearly gets hit by a frost before escaping—personifying youth fleeing autumn's hardship. The overall theme: autumn's beauty masks discomfort and expense. The leaf-bursting imagery emphasizes chaotic, explosive disorder. This reflects late-19th-century Judge's satirical style, mocking pretension, greed, and the gap between romanticized nature and practical human experience.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
As the weather grows cooler we notice the iceman leaves mere ice. This is the season of the year that finds all the small 8 turning over new leaves (for chestnuts). -) out big money to get his maple-tree 4 that was blasted to blooming—and ‘ L, now he is still paying out big money ¢ pt to have the leaves raked from the | blooming blasted tree. Niss—*: Do you not love to see the falling leaves?” 7 Riss—"* Yes ; 1'm tired ‘of reclining on my ¥ slats.” One of the old reliable (?) theatrical Ey leaves coming dows softly. . p Cd i Just as the young Ss Font was about to Gathering leaves. leave there came a frost harbinger of an a proachiag fall, es al ‘Sacket Wihelms Lhe & Pig Co Mew York. CommONT 1897,87 THE JUDGE PUBLISKIEG COMPANY OF REW YORK. AUTUMN LEAVES. comicbooks.com