Judge, 1903-02-28 · page 10 of 16
Judge — February 28, 1903 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains humorous anecdotes and satirical commentary, primarily targeting rural/Southern dialect speech and hypocrisy. **Main Content:** **"Reverend Si Slopper's Remarks"** features a Black preacher delivering sermons in exaggerated dialect, ostensibly offering moral guidance while revealing practical self-interest. The satire mocks religious hypocrisy—the reverend preaches Christian virtues (charity, honesty) while making accommodations for human weakness and selfishness. **Illustrations** show classroom and domestic scenes with crude caricatures in period-appropriate dress. **Supporting jokes** include: - A Chicago dialogue about architectural appreciation (playing on mispronunciation) - "Johnny's Explanation" about the cherry tree legend, deflating its morality - "Overheard in Worcester County," an old man's joke about being too old for modern technology **The Point:** The page satirizes gap between professed morality and actual behavior across social classes, using dialect humor and everyday scenarios. The exaggerated Black dialect reflects late-19th-century Judge's standard comedic approach, though offensive by modern standards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AN OBJECT-LESSON. but— REVEREND SI SLOPPER’S. REMARKS. E MAN dat hid his talent in de napkin wuz p'obably de fust ter chew de rag. In doin’ ob yo'r a'ms on de quiet tain’t necessary dat_yo' go roun’ in gun-shoes or maik yo'r chillun go bahfooted. When de book say watch an’ pray it doan’ mean dat yo" prowl roun’ all night tryin’ ter fin’ de nighest sho't cut ‘cross de back yahd ter de hen-house. Ef eb'rybody<wuz ter do de tings dat dey ortet do an’ lef" un- done de t'ings dat dey ortent ter do sum ob de preachahs in dis hyar country would haf ter go ter IN CHICAGO. mud’ yo’ doan’ haf ter search de scrip- tures ter fin’ out what ter say. It wuz right lucky fo" Mistah Balaam dat he wuzn't ridin’ a mule instid’ ob a’ ass. Fo’ bekase ef he'd bin on a mule de animile would ‘a’ made demon- strashuns wid his hinlaigs dat would ‘a’ settled Mistah Bataam’s hash, an’ dar would ‘a’ bin anudder rewishun ob de book neces- sary dat mought ‘a’ bin considered heresy. In splittin’ up HE BARELY ESCAPED. mah remahks on de rabbit queshun, I will diwide ‘em inter fouah ekel —but—but—but —- wuk fo’ deir daily chicken pot-pie. De book say ef a man ax yo! ter go wid ‘im a mile yo’ mus’ go wid ‘im twain. Good deal ‘pends on what de udder man got. In pickin’ out a chicken it, am well dat yo doan’ let yo'r light so shine dat an- udder niggah come along an’ trip yo" up an’ git de game. De niggah dat hide his candle undah his coat fon such occashuns is mo’ apt ter git dar fust. De sof” an- swer turn away wraf; but when a man hit yo' in Parson Fowter—"' Yais, bredren, as | wuz sayin’, de sperit am willin’, _pahts. Pahts one an‘ two am de two fust front feet, paht free am de right-han’ hin’ foot, an’ paht fouah am de lef'-han’ hin’ foot, which am de bull’s-eye ob mah disco’se. De book say dat de tree dat grow no froot orter be chopped down—dat it cucumber de groun’. I low, in de fust place, mah be- lubed, dat ef de ax wuz laid ter de root ob all de trees dat grow nuffin’ dar wouldn’ be ‘nuff woods lef’ fo' a jack-rabbit ter hide his- se’f in. JOHNNY’S EXPLANATION. WHEN George cut down the cher. ry-tree They didn’t warm his pants. pa dn’ ma sez, Thank the Lord It warn't the rubber-plants !"* OVERHEARD IN WORCES- TER COUNTY. Book-agent— Uncle, I'd like to sell you a new cyclopacdia.” Uncle Swayback —* Wa-al, young feller, I'd like ter hev one, but I'm afraid I'm too old to ride the blame thing.” TH “You haf seen dot Cologne cathedral ?"* “Yes. Isn't it dear? 1 always did admire that colognial architecture,” de mouf wid a han‘ful ob sof" —de flesh am weak!" comicbooks.com