Judge, 1902-10-25 · page 7 of 16
Judge — October 25, 1902 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from the satirical magazine *Judge* contains multiple short humor pieces typical of early 20th-century American comic journalism: **"The Strange Feature"** inverts expectations: rather than the successful brothers supporting the stay-at-home Bill, Bill's prosperity actually sustains the others—a reversal of the conventional moral tale about industriousness. **"Warming Him Up"** jokes about a hotel guest's complaint; the night clerk suggests presenting an inflated bill will make the customer feel "roasted" (cheated/angry enough to forget the cold). **"Her Platform"** depicts a young man nervously courting a woman who advocates for wives maintaining separate store accounts—progressive domestic financial independence for the era. **"The Widening Breach"** satirizes military technology's evolution: warfare distances combatants progressively (hand-to-hand → visual range → auditory range → beyond hearing), with deadpan speculation that the telephone will eventually determine nations' fates. Other brief gags mock petty domestic complaints and economic anxieties. The humor targets social pretension, marital dynamics, and technological change characteristic of Judge's satirical voice.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘THE. STRANGE FEATURE. T WAS strange about the Ruther- ford boys,” said the oldest inhab- itant. “Now, there was Josiah, he studied music and became a professor; and Henry, he took up the practice of medicine ; and Ru- pert, he read law and went into politics ; but Bill, he never seemed to care much about doing any- thing, and he just stayed around the home place all his life.” « And,” we suggested, having in mind the usual trend of poems on this subject, « Bill is supporting the other boys now 2” “Well, no,” answered the oldest inhabitant. That's the strange part of it. If the other boys hadn't chipped in and paid the mortgage on the place I suppose Bill would have been-in the poor-house by this time.” aN WHEN love is laughing at locksmiths it forgets the advantage of laughing last. WARMING HIM UP. Bext-toy—"' That guest in forty-seven complains that he's freezing.”” "Well, carry him up his bill and he'll think that he’s being roasted." HER PLATFORM. THE young man was palpably nervous. Nicwt-cLern— ON THE SCENT. Mrs. Mouse—"'My! but this supper must be good. There's been a dog smelling around here all day.” lems. sofa and was just framing another. and a very important question when she went on, “The wife ought to run a book-account at each store, and then she needn't bother about change or other financial prob- HIS MOTIVE. His sister— Why do'you wish to marry Lilly Gotcash?”” Mr. Nervine (in great despair}—" Oh, just to get even with that wall- eyed chaperon of hers. | want to see her lose her job.” ‘THERE ARE OTHERS. se\HATs the matter with me,” said the parrot, “is that I"—he was an old bird and therefore knew enough to address himself when speaking in confidence. Honest confession is good for the soul, but not for pub- licity—« talk too many and say too less.” ‘THE WIDENING BREACH. Warwick— In ancient times battles were fought in hand-to-hand conflict. A hundred years ago the armies waited until they could see the whites of each other's eyes before firing, and in the South African war they shot as soon as they could hear one another's guns. They keep getting farther apart all the time, and I am wondering just how the battles of the future will he fought. It will re- quire something more than ‘long Toms."” Wickwire—« Yes, sir. For my part I believe the long-distance telephone is going to play a mighty part in settling the fate of nations in the future.” “Do you,” he asked the young woman, “do you think that a wife ought to go down town and spend all her hus- barid’s wages for dresses and hats?” “Indeed, I do not think so,” an- swered the young woman, ‘No, in- deed ; she'should not spend all his money that way at all.” Here the young man edged a trifle closer on the A VALUABLE DISCOVERY. “Try this acid on it and see if it's gold.”” “Acid nothing! Give me a match—I think It's coal.” comicbooks.com