Judge, 1900-07-21 · page 5 of 18
Judge — July 21, 1900 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate satirical sketches typical of early 20th-century American humor: 1. **"Too Much of an Effort"**: A clerk proposes to a typewriter operator who refuses, claiming her vacation made her resolve to avoid tiring activities—a joke about modern women's independence and the changing workplace. 2. **"Right, After All"**: A lengthy dialogue explaining the French term "née" (born as). The humor lies in a pedantic discussion of whether a woman named Frances Swayback could have been "born" with that name, culminating in clarification that "née" indicates a maiden name. It satirizes overwrought linguistic debate. 3. **"Not a Crisp Brown"**: An Irish servant's exclamation about an undercooked mulatto (a baked good), with the master questioning why he couldn't find better boots. The humor derives from the servant's malapropism or confusion. All three sketches employ wordplay and situational comedy typical of Judge's satirical style, with particular emphasis on gender relations and linguistic confusion as humor sources.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TOO MUCH OF AN EFFORT. THE CLERK—"* Couldn't you learn to love me?” Tue TyrewriteR—" No, Mr. Pennshover, I made up my mind when I took my vacation that I would do nothing to tire me.” RIGHT, AFTER ALL. oa have been born Frances Swayback, ‘That's ridiculous, you HAT was Mrs, Kissam’s maiden name?” asked Wintergreen of . Clingstone. “She is Mi Clingstone, gi . “That's what I full and explicit 5 ae mean. She was formation. é Ze : ; , born already nam- “You mean née 5 y 4 ed. Herparentshad Swayback, I pre- . é decided to name sume, not née Fran- z ae iy F their first child aft- ces Swayback,” 4 777 ‘ a \ j ff er Mr. Swayback's added Winter- // > 4 father, whose name was Francis, The 1 v child was to be “But I'm afraid; 74 (4 j A: named Francis, you don't under- We a\ | j ss spelled with either stand the meaning = Ban‘ i‘ or an‘e, as of that French word oy % Fe) i ; 5 : circumstances née.” aa w should determine. Don't 1?” i =: | $ = \ # — Soyou see that Mrs. “I'm afraid . Y aes <a : ne Kissam was née not.” — aoe \ i 5 SN | S Frances Swayback “What does it . Wi 4 ze So all right.” mean?” - q 2 WILLIAM HENRY SIVITER “Née means No, it isn’t ridiculous.” “ You don’t mean to say that she was born with a Christian name as n, née Frances Swayback,” replied well as with a surname? That is not possible.” NOT A CRISP BROWN. “Well, it would \ 2 - . “MY 1" exclaim- be proper to say ed Dorothy, that Mrs. Kissam as a mulatto went was born Swayback 2°“ EE7 by, “there's the first because that was man | ever saw the name of her Tie MASTER—"' Idiot ! are they the only boots you could find?” that wasnt half parents; but she THE MAN—* Iviry blessed wan, sorr, barrin’ anither pair jist loike these,” baked!” comicbooks.com