Judge, 1904-10-08 · page 5 of 16
Judge — October 8, 1904 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces using racist caricatures common to early-20th-century American humor: **"The Cricket on the Hearth"** uses African American dialect humor to present seasonal warnings, likely mocking rural Black speech patterns. **"Narrow Escapes"** is a brief joke playing on the double meaning of "accepted" (a woman rejecting marriage proposals three times). **"Graft"** is the most substantive piece—a poem criticizing widespread corruption in government and commerce. It argues that modern bribery and corruption ("graft") is merely "finesse" and "diplomacy" dressed up, while ordinary people ("common people") suffer exploitation. This reflects Progressive Era concerns about institutional corruption. **"Smart" and "A Good Substitute"** are brief domestic humor pieces featuring caricatured Black figures, using offensive stereotypes as the basis for crude jokes about comportment and intelligence. The page reflects Judge's satirical approach: legitimate social criticism (anti-corruption messaging) mixed with dehumanizing racial humor typical of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE CRICKET ON THE HEARTH. ALL de dog an’ git yo'r gun ; Heah de cricket in de night Mistah Rabbit on de run. Keepin’ time wid all his might. Sot de trap ter cotch de coon— When de dark am east an’ west Huntin’ time am comin’ soon. Den de cricket do his best. When he sing his tick-aclick Bettah pack yo'r duds up quick; 4 Bettah git dem flannens out | *Fo' de doctah hab his doubt. Soon de leaves will be dyed red, An’ he come ter stay all night, r Soon de lamb his fleece will shed, Keepin’ time twell broad daylight— Soon de birds will wing aw: Tick-a-lick as blazes leap But de cricket ’s come ter stay. Up de chimley while yo" sleep. re ce] F HE wasn't in the wreck why is he suing the railway company for damages ?” “His wife was on the train, bound for South Dakota to get a divorce, and the nervous shock, together with an impairment of her complexion, caused her to drop the pro- ceedings.” i | i} NARROW ESCAPES, “Tom had several narrow escapes from death during his vacati “Did, eh? “Yes, His boat capsized twice and he was ac- cepted three times.”” a GRAFT. My Jason sneaked to the Hesperides { ‘i yy And neatly pinched, one night, the Golden Fleece, ! i } e id Wi] ‘was happily not known to the police | oy SN 4/2 WHY ‘ould promptly cry, "Our divsy, please" + i 2 yz eo L, sailing oriental seas Yy nt word “backsheesh,” was just a piece sitive wit, that caused their woes to cease And landed were the priceless argosies. “ How moves the world 5 1, just the same { As it revolved a thi T3. ago. ‘The common people, still raked fore and aft, Submit without a murmur to the game. "Tis called finesse, diplomacy, we know— But brazen nakedness 'tis graft. Fansy—* 1 wish it ‘ud clear up.” i: ¥ to dael picaeher Sei Rootsy—* Why, dis rain won't hurt ae grounds.” avy—' Yes, you ought to feel proud of your little brother." e a Saar aaa 4 Kip—" Dat's wot lam. Why, say! dat kid kin jig better an‘ spit de furderest dan enny Fansy—« But Vink how it'll swell de boards in de kid on de block." fence!" A GOOD SUBSTITUTE. Mrs. Coxco (reproachfully)—"* Now, we cannot crack these cocoanuts Mr. Conco—"' The lack of ingenulty displayed by womankind is past because you did not bring your war-club, as I told you.”” belief."" comichooks.coun)