Judge, 1904-02-13 · page 9 of 20
Judge — February 13, 1904 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page of satirical humor targets the proliferation of social clubs in early 20th-century America—a popular leisure trend among urban middle and upper classes. **"Pure Pessimism"** mocks the contradiction between clubs' stated purposes and members' actual behavior: cooking clubs whose members hire cooks, reading clubs where nobody buys books, athletic clubs whose members lack strength, singing clubs full of tone-deaf people. The satire suggests these organizations are pretentious fronts where members don't genuinely engage in the activities they theoretically join for. The comic vignettes below offer mild humor about class and finances: - A working-class man (Rickety Richard) admits to frequent jail time - A man loses money at the racetrack because he can't afford to place bets - A breakfast-club joke plays on "digestion" language **"Her Valentine"** satirizes cheap "comic valentines"—insulting greeting cards—by suggesting one woman's brother alone in the family buys such tacky items. Overall, the page reflects turn-of-the-century social anxieties about leisure-class pretension and consumption habits.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PURE PESSIMISM. JOMEN go to cooking-clubs, People go to golfing-clubs And always hire a cook ; And never find the tee ; People go to reading-clubs People lead in boating-clubs And never buy a book ; Who never see the sea; Women go to sewing-clubs People join athletic clubs, And never make a seam; And still their strength is weak ; People join the writing-clubs People in debating-clubs And never spoil a ream. Are seldom known to speak. People in amusement clubs Declare this life a bore ; Those in peace-procuring clubs Are always out for gore; Those who fill the singing-clubs Are destitute of song— ‘That's the look of all the clubs To one who can't belo NOT MUCH TIME. Mrs. Cotosrream (of the Hotel Com/ort, Bowery)—"* My good man, do you never find time to read the bible?" Rickrry RicHaro—"' Not often, mum. | don’t git put in jail more’n twice a year.” WHAT WOULD BE EXPECTED. S6}JOW are you getting along with your project of or- ganizing a breakfast-food club 2” asked Clarke. Fairly only,” replied Tigg. “You see, I sent out a lot of tentative constitutions and by-laws, and I suppose the recipients have not yet fully digested their provisions.” “There's where you made your mistake, man,” said A HEAVY LOSS. Clarke. “lost a pot of money at the track yesterday. Had a tip on Flyaway for the fourth Mistake? How?” event ‘ "and he lost?” uch a club should have a predigested constitution,” “No; he won. But. didn't have a cent to play him was the answer, HER VALENTINE. First cLusMaN—"' The count asked her to let him be her valentine.”” Seconp c.ueman—" Yes?” First cLusmaN—' Yes; and she told him that her brother Willle was the only one in the family who bought comic valentines.” comicbooks.com