Judge, 1898-04-02 · page 9 of 16
Judge — April 2, 1898 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes American military preparedness during the Spanish-American War era (1898). The cartoons humorously propose using American sports figures and athletic teams as weapons: **"Turn the Tiger loose on the Spaniards"** references Princeton University's athletic teams (the Tigers), suggesting deploying college sports players as combatants. **"Hoboken Lanciers"** appears to reference a local athletic club or sports organization from Hoboken, New Jersey, jokingly proposed as emergency military reinforcements. The central panel mocks military readiness with overcomplicated weaponry and chaotic preparation. **The satire's point**: American sports culture and athletic prowess are humorously offered as substitutes for actual military strength—poking fun at both national confidence in American superiority and anxiety about Spain's actual military capabilities. The jokes suggest America's sports obsession might replace serious war preparation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Let us lay aside national sport, while the country’s honor is at stake, and utilize our kickers’ propensities on the battlefield. Turn the Tiger loose on the Spaniards, ps tte the necessary precautions. In case of emergency, why not bring our famous ‘‘ Hoboken Lanciers” into’play? ‘Sackett & Wilhelm Litho & Pre Co New York sAMBN THE EVENT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. comicbooks.com