Judge, 1907-12-14 · page 10 of 16
Judge — December 14, 1907 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a six-panel comic strip from Judge (1907) following the character "Nervy Nat," a mischievous figure whose nosiness gets him committed to an asylum. The narrative: Nat peeks over a wall (panel 1), encounters an escaped lunatic (panel 4), and is mistaken for the escapee by a farmer offering a reward. Nat flees but is caught and institutionalized (panel 6). While confined, he encounters fellow inmates claiming to be the Emperor of Germany and "Ruffy Fluffles" (panels 2-3, 5). The satire plays on early 20th-century attitudes toward mental institutions and madness—portraying the asylum as populated by harmless eccentrics, and suggesting Nat's "crime" was mere curiosity. The joke is his comeuppance: his nosiness directly causes his wrongful confinement. The title emphasizes how curiosity, personified as an almost fatal flaw, backfires.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THA 1, Nervy Nat— choice wall—mayhap a young ladies’ seminary, or quite possibly the garden of a re the beauteous houris bask in the sunshine. Peradventure, I'll o long, bugs! Sorry I can't stay longer, but | fear I may become whftzy myself if i tarry indefinitely. Be good, children, and learn your lessons. Day-day!"” 5. Nervy Nat—"‘Can't you get It through that pumpkin which you carry on your shoulders for a head that I'm no more insane than you, you lop- eared, plow-chasing yokel ?” Farwer—" Thet's what all lunytics allus say. And if ye wasn't a crazy man I'd bat ye about four times in the head fer callin’ me them names.” 'm blown if Itisn't the funny factory! Hello, bugs!"" Behold, he comes! I am the Emperor of Germany.” Nervy Nat—" And, take it from me, sport, you're acting the part right well.” Inwate—* | am Ruffy Fluffles.”” Nervy Nat—" Why, gocd-day, Fluff! Glad to see that you've got a permanent Job at last. Why were you so long in getting here?” 4. Farmer—" It's an escaped lunytic. | seen him cllmb over the wall. They’s a reward of twenty-five dollars if ye ketch one thet gits away. Guess we got him."” ‘Nerv Nat—"‘If those bucolic geezers think they are going to overhaul me they'll need an express-train. What in thunder do they want, anyway ?” 6. Nexvy Nat—"Now, will you behold this situation—Incarcerated In the bug-house for an escaped lunatic, and thrown in a stuffed cell, at that? The next time I want to see what's on the leeward side of a stone wall I'll peek through a knot-hole. Oh, curlosity, your name is Nervy Nat!" NO. 28—NERVY NAT’S CURIOSITY LANDS HIM IN AN ASYLUM. COPYRIGHT 1907 BY JUDGE COMPANY, FUBLISMERS, 225 FOURTH AVE., KEW YORK. NOTE—The First Sertgs of Nervy Nat's tures te ready, handsomel, Se portage when onliered by mathe Address JUDGE CO bound, in book-form. Price, TS cents; 10 cents additional UDGE COMPANY, 225 Fourth Avenue, New York. comicbooks.com