Judge, 1909-10-23 · page 3 of 16
Judge — October 23, 1909 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the explorer **Admiral Peary's** claim to have discovered the North Pole. The headline "AT LAST! AT LAST! STARTLING DISCOVERY OF THE ORIGINAL JOKE!" mocks a supposed discovery of "the Original Joke" by Professor Spock—a pun on Peary's polar expedition claims. The advertisement for "The Double Uncle Sans North Pole Company" parodies the commercialization and public spectacle surrounding Peary's achievement. The cartoon depicts two large figures (likely representing the claimed discovery) being presented to crowds as the "grand spectacle." The satirical letters from fictional characters like "Professor Spock" and "Admiral Huncombe" mock both Peary's credibility and the public's gullible fascination with exploratory claims. The joke targets how sensational discoveries could be marketed to naive audiences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SPecqact 7 1000 TRAINEDDOGs 1000 —~ 300 ESsouIMaux SCIENTISTS 300 f (, 150 & EW ROAD COMPANY, AT LAST! ar, by the pe of JUDGH TEL Z 6 FTER arduous fight against the blues and a frost, have succeeded in locating the Original Joke, I have to in- A timate that I discovered the Original Joke, going north over new route by Grin-nell land. gned) — ** Pror We venture to say that no other 'y will so electrify the whole world as the reportof the undoubted discovery of the Origi Professor Spook, who, it will b membered, left. these shor where about 2000 B. nothing has b heard of the in- trepid adventurer through the long 8, though requests for hu- morous literature have reached our offices from time to time. We have had pleasure in supplying the ex- rr from time to time with As- bricks, Egyptian papyri, jest books, the hundred les, Joe Miller's jest books, volumes of Punch (both book and liquid form), our national Wits’ \pendium, and the Encyclopedia Britannica; but as no reply was vouchsafed to our letters, we have hitherto b unable to confirm ports that the professor was alive. We are now in a position to say that he is, and that he has, as will be seen from our columns, completed his task. Professor Spook will contribute the story of his dashing meander exclusively for our readers, and it may here be Stated that, as we have taken full steps to copyright our matter in all countri we will resent all breach of copyright in the fullest manner permitted by the law. LATER. (Copy right, copy right, or copy not at all.) I struck the Original Joke on April Ist, 1908, after a fierco orn Srook."” dised centuri AT LAST! STARTLING DISCOVERY OF THE ORIGINAL JOKE! I was accompanied on my expedition by tw of the tribe of Editors and twenty-six melancollies, kimos celebrated the finding of the as they call it, by a wild dance round the column I » to cross the line, IT felt elated as I gazed re was no Life there, no Panch, and lips Pack-ered ina grin as 1 realized that 1 Hi the © Ad -y of Joke a fake, 1 know that Spook has Editors do not know the Original Joke ence of the melancollies gives the re- not read Punch, vt th when they see it.* port the lic. There are flies S$ WE GO TO PRESS. Weary announces that he has made good the on them.”* Can do no more, Original Joke. “The Joke it dream at last! » prize of five hundred centuri Stars and stripes nailed to the Original To his wife he wi “Got him! “Weary.” LATER. “Lean prove that I found the Joke. Printed spe which I distributed to the aeals, bears, ete,, whose corpses, still convulsed in grins, will be found on the spot. Let skepties take will find the original forms, which I buried ice in a whiskey keg. I kept my Deskimos going by reading chapters of Charles Jar-vice, whose works were as gumdrops of sweetness to them. ‘They would go twenty-four hours on one chapter. edition, “* Spook." Look out for Professor Spook’s story. It will be published only in Jupce. Order in advance from your newsdealer. * Save one, the editor of Juvcr, i. W. SNEDDON, Ig comicbooks.com