Judge, 1904-01-23 · page 6 of 18
Judge — January 23, 1904 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several short humorous pieces typical of early 20th-century American humor magazines: **"War on the Mosquito"** satirizes a real board of trade meeting about mosquito extermination (referenced in the header). The poem mocks New Jersey residents' seasonal dread of mosquitoes and suggests military-style intervention with kerosene, treating the pest problem with mock-heroic language. **"Better Yet"** is a simple plumber joke playing on double meaning: while others build "air-castles" (daydream), Pipes literally "plumbs" them—a pun on his profession. **Other short gags** include jokes about marriage, a surgeon's expertise, and casual ethnic humor (the "black eye" initiation joke uses Irish dialect stereotyping common to the era). **"Such a Difference"** contrasts a tightrope walker's sobriety versus drunkenness—the final cartoon shows him drunk on a sidewalk, unable to walk straight. The page is primarily lighthearted domestic and professional humor rather than political satire, with illustrations accompanying each brief joke or poem.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WAR ON THE MOSQUITO. (A largely-attended meeting was held this afternoon at the rooms of the board of trade and t Portation, the object of which was to devise ways and means for the extermination of the mosquito.— Evening Sun.) LEAK January—and each Jersey dune With winter’s crystal fretwork ‘s glittering o'er, And sad-eyed residents along the shore, With fear look forward to the month of June, | When the mosquito comes with siren tune To illustrate phlebotomy once more, And draw full many a quart of native gore With fell intent beneath the gibbous moon. Onward, brave soldiers! Pour the kerosene In hogsheads o'er the festive swamp until, 'Mid trumpets’ blare, you've finished up the biz. Stamp out the lychnobite that mars the scene, And when the job is done present your bill Before the deadly skeeter puts in his. RUGENE GEARY. BETTER YET. E SEE Pipes the plumber sitting in deep meditation, a contented smile hovering upon his face. “Ah!” we venture gayly, " building air-castles 2” “ Better'n that,” he tells us.“ Plumbing them.” WHERE HE COT IT. * Where did Oi git th’ black oye? Oh, Ol'm just afther bein’ initiated.”” WOMAN'S WAY. He—" Why, I'd marry that girl in a minute.” Sue—"That would be the only way. If you gave her two minutes to think it over she'd flunk.” AN IRREDUCIBLE FRACTURE, ‘6 P)R. SPLINTEM, the surgeon,” declared the man with the red shingles on his house, “is the most expert man in his profession in the city.” “Indeed 2” politely asked the man with the iron dog on his lawn, Yes, sir. Why, there isn’t any kind of a fracture that he can't set, and set perfectly.” “Is that so?” murmured the man with the iron dog on his lawn, “Now, I wonder if he would be any good at set- ting a broken egg.” NOT CROWDED. 46] SUPPOSE there is plenty of room at the top in your business.” “Hardly. Iam a steeple-jack.” Sweewc— SUCH A DIFFERENCE! This is Signor Tightroap calmly walking a wire with his eyes shut. And this ts the signor after being pald off, and having one or two, trying to keep in the middle of the sidewalk. comicbooks.com