Judge, 1909-12-04 · page 9 of 48
Judge — December 4, 1909 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous "lease agreement" parodying formal legal language—not a political cartoon. Judge magazine playfully presents its Christmas issue as a product being "leased" to purchasers rather than sold outright. The satire mocks both pompous legal contracts and the magazine's own commercialism. The text humorously stipulates sharing rights, family access, sticky-fingered children's privileges, elderly readers' viewing priority, and romantic couples' freedom to enjoy mistletoe decorations without legal liability. The ornate illustration of Santa and Christmas imagery frames this tongue-in-cheek contract. The joke plays on the gap between overwrought legal formality and the simple pleasure of sharing a holiday magazine. Published December 4, 1909, it's lighthearted seasonal humor rather than political satire—a winking acknowledgment that Judge wants readers to spread the magazine's joy widely.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HIS agreement witnesseth, that the publishers hereby Iet unto the purchaser this Christmas issue of JUDGK. ‘The said lessee hereby agrees to share it with others and not to keep the same exclusively to himself unless the written consent of the lessor be received. It is hereby mutually agreed that the purchaser shall hold or dispose of the Christmas JUDGE upon the terms and conditions herein named. Regular subscribers are released from the obligation of permanently parting with their copies. All members of the subscriber's family are equally entitled to the joys and pleasures found in the pag The fact that the fingers of the younger members will be sticky from the handling of Christmas candy shall not deprive said members of the privilege of looking at the pictures. It is mutually understood that the said stick- iness is one of the incontestable Yule-tide rights of childhood. Purchasers of the Christmas JUDGE at news-stands or on railroad trains agree to take same home to make the joys of the Holidays the happier. It shall be the right of the old and the feeble to have the first look. Without let or hindrance they shall be allowed, while looking at the pages, to live over the Christmases of the past in an Indian summer of the heart. The right of lovers to put their heads together while looking at Christmas JUDGE shall not be interfered with. Should the mistletoe in the border surrounding this lease be taken by them to be “the real thing,” it is agreed that the publishers shall not be held responsible for the damage done. Sealed and delivered the fourth day of December, one thousand nine hundred and nine. THE PUBLISHERS, Ver J. M, LEE.