Judge, 1901-02-23 · page 10 of 16
Judge — February 23, 1901 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces typical of early 20th-century American humor: **"Song for the Cynic"** mocks cynical attitudes toward Valentine's Day, contrasting romantic sentiment with crude comic valentines—suggesting some readers find genuine love letters foolish compared to insulting caricature cards. **"A Conundrum"** satirizes exploitative vaudeville management: a theater manager claims he's only hiring a performer to "fill out" the show, yet expects the actor to survive on minimal wages—highlighting labor disputes in entertainment. **"The Disappointed Boy"** presents a small boy disappointed after fishing—not from lack of catch, but because no bearded man appeared to lecture him about the morality of Sunday fishing (a religious/moral concern of the era). Other brief pieces include workplace jokes and wordplay typical of the magazine's comic style. The overall tone is gentle satire aimed at contemporary social practices: romantic conventions, labor conditions, religious morality, and family dynamics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SONG FOR THE CYNIC. Ho for the postman, a pouch full of letters ! Ho for the silken-fringed amorous screeds ! Verses impassioned, Dan Cupid's abettors, In love's sunny garden the first scattered seeds. Tasseled, gilt-lettered, with quaint serrate edges. What? There are others—a rift in the blue? Cynic, about you dyspepsia hedges — Ho for the gay comic valentine too! Ho for the hey-day of youth, rosy tinted ! Ho for lace-paper in fancy desi Vowing a love pure as coin freshly minted, Schoolboyish, scrawled-over, smutched valen- tine, What though some youngster has roused all your ire— Sent you a caricature labeled ** It's you"? Own up you're crusty since gone is youth's fire— Ho for the gay comic valentine too! Ho for the day, -bruary’s mid-season ! Ho for Dan Cupid’s most merciless pranks ! "| Though you're gray-haired does it thus stand to reason You should, perforce, swell iconoclast ranks? Laugh at the joke, ‘tis a rare bit of folly, Join in the sport as ‘twas planned you should do ; Sing ho for good-nature that ne'er slips its trolley, And ho for the gay comic valentine too! MOY PAKRRLL 6 A CONUNDRUM. VAUDEVILLE MANAGER —"* More salary? Why, Iam only hiring you to fill out !" VAUDEVILLE ARTIST—"* But, great Scott !_ How do you expect a chap to ‘fill out’ on ten a week ?” THE DISAPPOINTED BOY. OW it came to pass that the small boy went fishing on Sunday and he fished all through the long summer day. The boy caught many fish, but in- stead of feeling elated, a distinct feeling of depression was noticeable in his man- ner as he journeyed homeward. We ventured to ask the whereforeness of this, and suggested that possibly he fear- ed that he would catch it on his arrival. We were quickly reassured on this point, however, The fish he was carrying would insure him a heart are you ” he replied, “no man with long whiskers came near me the whole livelong day to inquire where I expected to go to when I'd Here, indeed, was ground for gloom. We could afford him no consolation. Preenme. WILLIAM WRNRY SIVITIOR, ONE ON HIM. got a good joke on Raggles. He's awfully chesty about his new * raglan,’ ” “Is dat so?" Yes, but de blame fool don't know it's a bath-robe.”" Wir He Weary— SHREWD SUSPICION HEN George Washington was young, abounas old as I, He never would permit his tongue to tell a wilful lie ; ‘That's what folks say; but I guess he lied, tho" not as others do— He lied, and then, by Jimminy ! he proved the falsehoods true. DEAD SERIOUS. Doctor Jolly —* Do you know what book has had the most lasting effect on the hu- man race 2” Colonel R—**Unele Tom's Cabin,’ I reckon.”” Doctor Jolly— No; you're wrong. * Every Man EXPLANATORY, Mx. TUNING FORK (¢0 Wel mean Jonnoy stop, you don't keep good tim r watch)" L wish you would killed more people than the plague.” mind our p's and q's His Own Physician.” It has Ener (aged six) —** What does ‘alphabetical order’ JOUNNY (aged seven}—* Oh, that’s when ma orders us to Wh “AbD the O and g a frie here,” tell 1 Th “t comicbooks.com