Judge, 1901-12-21 · page 6 of 16
Judge — December 21, 1901 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects short jokes and comic sketches typical of early 20th-century American humor magazines. Key themes include: **Marriage & Gender Comedy**: Multiple jokes mock domestic life—wives claiming ownership of husbands' belongings ("our necktie"), women's inconsistency in relationships ("The Inconstant Sex"), and rigid gender roles. The "bachelors' club" joke satirizes women's tendency to marry. **Social Climbing**: Jokes target the newly wealthy (making love to a "grass-widow") and retired businessmen following conventional literary paths (disparaging college education). **Ethnic Stereotypes**: The bottom cartoon features exaggerated Yiddish-accented Jewish characters ("Isaacs" and "Abrams"), with one implying an insurance fraud setup after his store burns—reflecting period antisemitic tropes about Jewish dishonesty. **The Humor**: Generally relies on wordplay, marital tension, and social observation typical of era. The White Mountain cake joke plays on "realistic" (inedible) cooking. The overall tone reflects comfortable middle-class perspectives mocking outsiders and domestic partners.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE FUNNY MAN. IF YOU think he's not so warm you err. These Christmas jokes were made At the time the old ther- momete wd ninety in the shade. COMMON PROP- ERTY. Benham —" Where is my necktie, wife 2” Mrs. Benham — “You mean our necktie. Thave it on.” BETTER THAN HAY. 6¢LJE SAYS. that he always makes hay while the sun shines.” “Yes; he is now —— making love to a rich “BEHIND THE TIMES. grass-widow.” ENDURING AS THE MOUNTAIN te THIS," said the proud young wife as she passed the plate to her trusting husband, “is White Mountain cake.” The deluded man made several attempts to bite it “What do you think of it, dear ?” she asked. “Well,” he said with a feeble smile, * it is very realistic." A SHARP REPLY. Ella— Xre you to have any mistletoe at your house 2” Stella—" Certainly not. I don't have to invite men to kiss me.” CONVENTIONAL. Retired business man—“ Well, I've taken my first plunge into literature.” The other —* Mave you, indeed ?- Something original, | venture to say.” Retired business man—"Oh, not I've followed quite the beaten path, beginning, you know, with an article disparaging a college education. Perhaps I shall branch out a bit later. THE INCONSTANT SEX. He—"I suppose it's hard for a girl to get into the woman bachelors’ club ?"* ‘Sue—"'Oh, no: there are always vacancies. The members are getting married all the time." WHY HE WEPT. Isaacs—"* Shust look at der ruins ohf mein peautiful shtore! Id makes me sad.” Asrams—"'I subbose id makes you sad to t'ink you can’t insure der ruins, too."* comicbooks.com