Judge, 1902-12-20 · page 9 of 52
Judge — December 20, 1902 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Christmas-themed page from *Judge* contains several short satirical pieces mocking contemporary social types and technologies: **"Under the Mistletoe"** mocks the awkward marriage proposal, where a suitor must ask not the woman but her mother (a "grass widow"—a separated/divorced woman). The humor lies in outdated courtship formality. **"His Status"** ridicules the self-made man boast as essentially a confession of humble origins—a dig at Gilded Age pretension. **"Undaunted"** satirizes the obsession with new wireless telegraph technology (Marconi apparatus). The joke: a marooned prisoner smugly believes he'll survive because he has a wireless telegraph, though the pirates clearly meant to strand him without rescue options. It mocks blind faith in technology. **"Sage Advice"** and the final note on airship inventors are brief quips about honesty and technological speculation. The ornate circular frame depicts a Christmas party scene. Overall, the page pokes fun at dating customs, social climbing, and contemporary enthusiasm for new inventions—typical *Judge* targets for educated, urban readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘A Merry Christmas all around, with much felict-tee, And many gifts and sentiments to bend the dear old tree. 7” UNDER THE MISTLETOE. HIS STATUS. | SS {JILL you marry me 2" tremblingly inquires the honest youth of **LJE-BOASTS that he is a self-made man.” | the coy daughter of the grass widow. 3 Boasts? I should think he would regard the statement as a | «Oh, kind sir,” answers the diffident maid, you must ask mamma __confesSibn or. an explanation.” “T did,” avers the truthful swain, « but she said she couldn't have ; : | UNDAUNTED. me, as she was engaged to old Goldrox.” ~ $+ AND now, sir," the fierce-looking. pirates blithely informed him: | > ‘ve are going to maroon you on a desert island in mid-ocean, SAGE ADVICE. We calculate that you will starve to death in just about five days, ‘*LTERE'S a fellow,” said the answers-to-inquiries editor, “who or daweek at the outside.” wants us to tell him how to avoid falling : But, so far.from being daunted by their savage out of a hansom.” ~~ words, their prisoner only smiled scornfully. “ That's easy,” put in the sport- He had in his inside pocket a complete ing editor. “Tell him to ride Marconi wireless telegraph ap- | the horse.” paratus ! THE honesty that AIRSHIP invent- 2 is the best ors seem to policy is not be in the air always the more than best hon- their in- esty. ventions. COPYRGNT 1902 BY JUDGE COMPANY OF WEW YORK. ‘Sackelt & Wihahns ithe & Pig Co Rew York. comicbooks.com