Judge — September 17, 1904 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

**Top cartoon ("Had Been There Before"):** Two farmers discuss hiring a vagrant/hobo. The joke: the hobo knows farming so well that he specifically avoids doing farm work—suggesting he's experienced enough to know which jobs are hardest or most undesirable. It's satirizing both lazy workers and farmers' difficulty finding reliable labor. **Bottom cartoon ("A Terrible Mistake"):** A congressman complains that his photograph was mistakenly published with pugilist Kid McPlugger's name. The sporting editor's response—he's "afraid McPlugger will see it and take it as a mortal insult"—is the joke: comparing the congressman's appearance to a boxer is so insulting that McPlugger might challenge him to a fight. The satire mocks the congressman's vanity and low public standing compared to a prizefighter. Both cartoons use exaggerated caricature and working-class/political figures as targets for social ridicule typical of Judge's satirical approach.