Judge, 1903-12-19 · page 24 of 52
Judge — December 19, 1903 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical content employing **racist stereotypes common to late-19th/early-20th century American humor**. **"Twenty Model People"** opens with wooden figures—a visual pun suggesting these "model people" are literally made of wood and incapable of wrongdoing, likely satirizing sanctimonious moral reformers. **"Too Much for Santa"** and related Christmas stories use heavy **dialect caricature** of African American characters ("Zeke Moffett," "Mose Jackson"). The humor derives from depicting Black church celebrations disrupted when a character accidentally releases a possum through a window during gift distribution—framing chaos and incompetence as inherently comic. **"His Christmas Dream"** romanticizes an enslaved or formerly enslaved man's fantasy where his white "master" becomes "Mistah Santy Claus," reinforcing a paternalistic vision of racial hierarchy as benevolent. The cartoons rely entirely on minstrelsy conventions: exaggerated dialect, physical comedy, and the implicit assumption that Black life and aspirations are inherently amusing to white audiences. These represent period attitudes now recognized as deeply offensive.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ules TWENTY MODEL PEOPLE. THESE worthies standing in a row are very fair to see : Within the straight and narrow path they {risk in moral glee. They're paragons of everything that's beautiful and gocd, And quite incapable of wrong—because they're made of woed. ‘TOO MUCH FOR SANTA. 66EFOCCUM de Chris'muss suv- vices down ter de Shinin’ Light chu'ch ter break up in dis- ohdeh? Well, suh, I'll des tell yo" de straight er dat muss-up, so es yo" won't be misdeceived by none er de stories some er dese ‘citable dahkies is er-spreadin’ ‘roun’, Yo" see, ‘Zeke Moffett, he war chosen foh ter be de Santa Claus foh de ‘casion, en he has on er mouty fine disguisement er long wiite whiskehses en cotton battin’ on ‘is clo’es ter rep’sent de snow. En so he git up undah de tree en mek er nice speechment ter de chilluns en tell ‘em all erbout how de guv'mint come ter hab Chris'muss, en den begin er pull- in’ de presents off er de tree en passin’ ‘em down ter de ‘cipients. Well, suh, Mose Jackson, he done been on er ‘possum hunt two days befo’, en he cotch one er de fattes’ ‘possums dat eva wah seen erbout hyah, en so he think hit'll be mouty fine ef so be he hang dat ‘possum on de tree foh his li'l boy. En so dah dat ‘possum hang, all quoiled up on one er de limbs, des ¢s fat en sassy es yo" please. Den dis hyah ‘Zeke he takin’ off de presents, one by one, en hannin’ ‘em down, twell he come ter de ‘possum. . *Lawd, man! yo’ nevah see CHRISTMAS EVE, Bowsy—''I ain't got a very big foot, but if Santa ‘ll fill this stockin’ | Bot wont kick."* . TIME! J—Jostah! I'm under the mistletoe! Uhung up! de likes. He tek dat ‘possum up by de tail en squinch at hit, en den he des look eroun’ de chu'ch twell he see whah dey is er win- der dat am raise’ so es ter freshen de air, en den he mek two jumps ter de winder, en ‘fo’ any one know whut gwine on, ‘Zeke, ‘possum en all am out er de winder en gwine down de road like de ossifers aftah him. In co’se dat brek up de fes. tiverties, ‘cause all de folks dey git out en chase ‘Zeke. “Catch ‘im? Lawd, white man! Yo! nevah seed er black man run w'enst ‘e hol'in’ on ter er ‘possum, is yo" ? HIS CHRISTMAS DREAM. ON CHRISMUS EVE in his abn. chair De ole coon lay all in a heap (Dabs gray between his curly hair). He dreams ob Yule-time in his His Chris'mus-tree 's de great big oak Out in de cotton-fiel’ an’, laws ! His master—kindest ob white folk— ‘To him is Mistah Santy Claus! His eyes dey bulge in his sleep serene Dat Chris'mus-tree all through an’ through Am trimmed wid watahmillyins green, Wid chickens, ‘cvons an’ ‘pose sums, too. CHRISTMAS MORNING. "Hooray! I'm one in or Santathat was an elastic stockin comicbooks.com