Judge, 1908-10-10 · page 5 of 16
Judge — October 10, 1908 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes idle, unproductive men through multiple sketches. "The Drone" poem mocks "Big Sam," a lazy man who won't work or contribute—he "stan't out alone" and avoids labor while expecting others to support him. The accompanying illustrations show him lounging while others toil. The other sketches ("An Inference," "Had Her Doubts," "Poor Fellow," "A Natural Inquiry") depict domestic conflicts and social awkwardness typical of Judge's humor—nagging wives, exhausted husbands, class pretensions, and marital discord. The overall message reflects Progressive Era anxieties about masculine vigor and productivity. The "drone" represents feared social parasitism—a man failing his economic duty to family and society, a common target of satirical magazines aimed at middle-class male readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
re F “* Big Sam" was a honey-bee Ah know he'd be de dro Ob all de loafehs, yu'll agree, He dess stan’s out alone. Let uddeh husban’s plow en hoe, En plant de cohn en yam; But he Will Sam, Big Sam! Hair-dresser (while your head when [hai AN INFERENCE. kin | go a-fishin’?"" pu can't,"’ retorted the old gentlen 1 his newspaper. wus Ba, kin 1 yo in swimmii Ive told 3 no several times alres Smith's for a little o, my son, you can't, Willie Smith is not a fit companion for a by like you,’ kin I cut the pi ree; you can’t. I'm not ge house littered up with seraps of paper."” ures out o' the Sunday J . is this a prohibition Sta POOR FELLOW! hw (caressingly)—"* Sweetheart, | know you must be A NAT ired holding me on yi nee so lo She—"'The man TE marry must be hand tired holding me on your knee so long ie harden, He—"'In view of the fact that this is leap ye you if Iam to regard your words in the light of a ; considerate, d, above all, of hij He- “Oh, no, dear; Tam not tired. 1 was two hours aiderat above al ago, but | am numb now."* I dess sit en wateh dem grow— But when Ah stop en shade mah eyes, En luk up et de sun, En fin’ he's ha'f-way ‘cross de skies, En noon-day hab begun, Who tries to reach de table fus En gobble all de ham, En stuff until yu'd think he'd bus’? Why, Sam, Big Sam! VICTOR A. HERMANN. HAD HER DOUBTS. vigorous J, madam’ m “I'm sure I don’t know, Iwas in hopes you would leave enough AL. INQUIRY. All mawnin’ by det sandy road Ah bile det pot ob clo'es, En rub dem on de soapy bo'd Till soapsuds fill mah nose. En while Ah wuk en ben’ mah bac’, Who blinks wid eyes so ca’m, En yawns until his jawbones crac? Why, Sam, Big Sam! hampoo)—** Will you have tinace Dablee- cous, kindly, cultivated, 1 find myself constrained to asx comicbooks.com