Judge, 1899-07-01 · page 18 of 18
Judge — July 1, 1899 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top cartoon ("What Cheered Him"):** A sick patient tells his doctor that hearing he has a "burning fever" and is in "failing health" actually makes him feel better—because it "sounds like business." This is satire on commercial opportunism: the patient is apparently someone who profits from illness or misfortune, so bad news literally cheers him up. **Bottom cartoon ("A Coop Specialist"):** A job applicant tells Major Haxberry he can whitewash, disinfect, and repair chicken-coops, and admits that's "about all I kin do to chicken-coops in de daytime." The heavy dialect and the absurdity of someone's entire skillset revolving around chicken-coops is the joke—mocking either unemployable workers or, possibly, immigrants with extremely limited abilities or English proficiency. The humor relies on ethnic caricature common to the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WHAT CHEERED HIM, Doctor—" You are in failing health and have a burning fever.” Patignt—"* Vell, doctor, dot sounds like beesniss. I feel better alreaty.”” Majon Haxwery—" Want a job, eh? What are you capable of doing ?” sub, | kin whitewash chicken-coops.” * Anything else 7” ; Lkin disinfect chicken-coops.”” ‘aything else 2” ; L kin repair chicken-coops.”” thing else ?” . yes, but dat’s about all I kin do to chicken-coops in de daytime.” comicbooks.com