Judge, 1906-08-18 · page 16 of 16
Judge — August 18, 1906 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a comic strip satirizing a character called "Nervy Nat," a sentimental adult man who nostalgically yearns to be a child again. The humor relies on the contrast between his affected, theatrical emotional displays and his rapid mood swings. In each panel, Nat dramatizes childhood experiences (being led by a nurse, eating licorice, playing) with exaggerated sentimentality—using flowery language about "shadowy paths of youth" and claiming to be "hit by a pile-driver" when slightly injured. However, his emotions flip instantly: once the nurse actually treats him as a boy, he loses interest; when he matures mentally, he dismisses childish pleasures. The satire targets adult nostalgia and performative sentimentality—the affectation of adults who romanticize childhood while actually preferring grown-up pleasures. The title's reference to "a couple of emotions" suggests Nat oscillates between two superficial emotional states rather than experiencing genuine feeling. The French-speaking nurse adds a cosmopolitan, slightly pretentious dimension to the critique.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1. Nexvy Nat—" Ah, lucky boy! How the sight of that littl 2. Nervy Nat—" Dear good nurse, please try not to think that | me back to me own. been Ae Whata poh Sei twal ee dusty in the cupola, but will you pretend for a little while that I ant another they idolized meh! And my dear old nurse—with what simple and touch- little boy of yours, and that you are taking me out to walk in the * Bois °? ing faith did I let her lead me by the hand with her big red lunch-hooks! ' have a passionate desire to travel back over the shadowy paths of me Oh.«nake me a boy again. Just for to-day!"* youth. * Nurse—": Certainement, monsieu’. Ect ts droll, but eet ts amusant, n’est-ce-pas!"" = By 3. Nurse—" Does monsteu’ enjoy playing he is a boy—yes?” Nerv Nat—"' Yes—and no! It's the funniest thing, mademoiselle, but ever since you have been holding my hand | have ‘completely recov- Mcorice *shoestrings,’ while now that [ have reached the age of Indis- ered from that dream of belng a mere boy again. | can't explain It, but the idea has lost all of its charm and ""—— 4. Nervy Nat—‘*l am dee-lighted to know that I am over seven after all. Why, when I was a kid the Parnassus of joy was five cents’ worth of eretion, | know something better than licorice—to wit, peaches 5 einen ‘5. Nurse—" Monsieu’ is a naughty boy!" Nexvy Nat—"' Mother, your Uttle son has been hit by a plle-driver, Yes, | have come home to die. Weep not, mother dear: ‘tis all for the best. Tell father | forgive him for sending me down to the dock Tell my little brother Tim to be pure in heart. | leave my little red wheel- Darrow to the little lame giel "— COPYRIGHT 1906 BY JUDGE COMPANY PUBLISHERS. 225 FOURTH AVE. MEW YOR NERVY NAT HAS A COUPLE OF EMOTIONS. comicbooks.com