Judge, 1903-10-10 · page 10 of 16
Judge — October 10, 1903 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from Judge magazine contains multiple satirical pieces typical of early 20th-century American humor: **"Ballade of Dead Novels"** parodies Francois Villon's medieval poem form to mock the fleeting popularity of contemporary bestsellers. It laments forgotten novels like "Trilby," "David Harum," and "Eben Holden"—books that were wildly popular but have already faded from public interest. The satire targets both the disposable nature of commercial fiction and readers' fickle tastes. The three humor cartoons below employ Judge's signature format: brief domestic/social scenarios with punchy punchlines. "Happily Misunderstood" plays on a husband's deliberate obtuseness, "Music Hath Charms" uses rural dialect for humor about horses responding to music, and the bottom item jokes about keeping engagement secrets. The overall page satirizes popular culture, marriage dynamics, and rural stereotypes—standard Judge fare emphasizing class-conscious urban mockery of both mass-market fiction and working-class life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
BALLADE OF DEAD NOVELS. With due amends to Master Francois Villon of the Fircone taverg). ) WONDER in what auction-rooms ' One bids for «Trilby ” thirty cents, Or where the “ Audrey” craze still booms, Or“David Harum"'s thought immense; Where ‘Eben Holden now is sold? The wind has blown them all away ; ‘The tales that flourished once are old— Where are the books of yesterday? Say where brave Mary Jobnston sleeps On dust-strewn shelves, quite out ot reach, And where the lonely cockroach keeps Its guard of Weyman, once a ‘peach; Wherg are the yarns of cloak and sword? ‘The wind has blown them all away ; No more “best sellers" are they scored— Where are the books of yesterday? The knighthood that was once in flower, It seems, alas! has gone to seed ; The rural tale that once had power Has gasped its last «* B’gosh !” indeed. And with reluctant hand on latch— ‘The wind will blow it soon away— We see “ Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch.” Where are the books of yesterday ? ‘Alas for Wiggses, Harums, all! ‘The wind has blown them quite away. c 4 The ‘+ rubes,”* the swordsmen, great and small— . CLOSE TO THE IDEAL. . Where are the books of yesterday ? Casey ‘s the model husband. He thinks ivirything av his wife. He do? Fn caalaccas He do. Iviry tolme he blacks her eye he goes out an’ gits a sirloin shteak to put on it."* HAPPILY MISUNDERSTOOD. MUSIC HATH CHARMS. ‘6]F YOU are so disappointed in me, why did you marry such a man . +4 AND do you not find that even the dumb animals are susceptible ) as 1?" asks the dense husband. to the influence of certain strains of music?” asks the gentle « Because I didn’t know any better,” retorts the angry wife. investigator of the sagacious farmer. ; Being slow of understanding, he thinks she means that she did “Now that you mention it,” answers the agriculturist, “I believe not know any better men than he, consequently he is immediately that there is one tone that affects my team of hosses pretty much,” happy. Bowing his thanks, he hurries out and down street, that he «And what is that?” asks the investigator, taking out his little may purchase for her the set of furs on which she has set her heart note-book. and which caused the quarrel we have noted, “G natural,” says the farmer, moving on down the pike. Gtaprs—“ Ethel tells me you are engaged to her."* Guowty—""Humt ‘She poomised to keep it a secret.” Graprs—" Well, | guess she thinks the joke is too good to keep.”” comicbooks.com