Judge, 1909-12-18 · page 6 of 16
Judge — December 18, 1909 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Judge* satirical magazine contains multiple unrelated pieces typical of the publication's format. The lead article, "The Sense of Humor" by Alexander Harvey, argues humorously that humor—not Marx's economics or Darwin's evolution—is the key to human history and survival. It traces humor back to primitive organisms and cavemen, claiming prehistoric humans discovered comedy upon standing upright and seeing their own ridiculous appearance. The page includes several captioned cartoons and brief comedic sketches: - "The Optimist": A cheerful fisherman despite physical ailments - "A Budding Merchant": A jeweler instructs a boy employee about marked merchandise and payment - "Don't You Bite My Dog!": A child threatening a dog - "Salesmanship," "Pure Oleo," "Christmas Time," and "Short on Science": Various domestic humor vignettes The "Business Signs" section advertises fictional companies with pun-based names ("Dan Cupid" insurance, "Mrs. Grundy" glass houses). The humor relies on wordplay, domestic situations, and gentle social observation rather than specific political references.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
usage THE SENSE OF HUMOR. HEN Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, they took with them a sense of humor—which is what a knowledge of good and evil amounts to. In acquiring a sense of humor they lost Paradise, but the possession of a sense of humor made the loss of Paradise toler- able. For it is the function of the sense of humor to make life tolerable. With- out humor any tribe of prehistoric sav- ages in conflict with its foes found con- ditions intolerable and succumbed. ‘The sense of humor is thus the key to universal history. The socialist deems the sur- plus value theory of Karl Marx the only key to universal history. The Darwinian thinks evolution the real key to the history of our race on this planet. The truth is that when man, emerging from the original hairiness of our ape-like ancestors, stood for the first time on two feet, instead of running about on all fours, he gave birth, owing to his appearance, to a consciousness of the ludicrous. The gorillas who saw the sight experienced the first thrill of that emotion which, intensified through the medium of the grin, realizes itself most felicitously in the divorce laws, The sense of humor makes them tolerable. Another form of the sense of humor, the faculty of mimicry, is essential to the safety of insects. By imitating a dead leaf, a species of beetle tricks the birds. It is an Customer—"1 said 1 didn’t want any butter on old entomological joke. It would be still easier to trace the sense of humor back to Pe ype Cy aot aint butter.” even the most primitive organisms—back to the jellyfish, say, or to plants. Weeds, for instance, manifest a lively humor in CHRISTMAS TIME. their periodical appearances in commut- ROUND us we have gathered kith ers’ gardens, where the potato, not to be and kin: outdone, assumes the aspect of a pebble Good cheer is scattered all about; and thus escapes being devoured, It is — an And, as the lovely gifts go up and in, the strategy of the insect world adapted . Pa’s pocketbook goes down and out. to botanical life. The sense of humor BUSINESS SIGNS is particularly ble to vegetation 7 ie ’ ON EITHER SIDE OF JOY STREET. in avoiding deserts, Hence the prob- lem of irrigation has ceased to be seri- ous. The sense of humor, consequently, explains not only much that is obscure in entomology and botany, but affords it ) b > \ S ‘ Dan Cupid PURE OLEO, the best material for luminous generali- zation with re! to prehiste man. That prehistoric man had a sense of humor is demonstrated by the fools he : ALL KINDS OF HAPPINESS makes of the anthropologists. wih INSURANGE, WRITTEN ALEXANDER HARVEY. THE OPTIMIST. such a perfect optimist That when his head doth ache And his poor collar bone is stiff As any garden rake, 5 ieney, rs. Grundy He takes his fish-pole down and goes A-fishin’—yes, by heck ! ro Hod Dasnbery And hopes to land a whopper from reprise . : The erick. bie show rindow. Mine fe did you nodite de brespiration ARCHITECT OF GLASS HOUSES Neck !"* an y DISSATISFACTION GUARANTEED A BUDDING MERCHANT. SHORT ON SCIENCE. HE JEWELER left his new boy in charge of the store while he Christian Science mamma—* Are you giving any treatment to went home to his dinner, but not until he cautioned the youth that young error of mind who is calling on you?”” that all the goods were marked and that he must not let any one Christian Science dauglter—* Yes, mamma. I lent hima copy take goods with him of ‘Science and unless they were paid Health.’ for. Christian Science “Well, Sam,” a ae ‘ mamma—"* Lent it to him! My dear, our good mother printed that book to , i sell! I see I shall You bet! — have to demonstrate for more Science in you.’” he asked, upon his return, “did you have any custom- ers?" id Sam gleeful “And I got his ey, too! I sold one man all those brass gs you had that were marked 18e. on the insid and here's the money a dollar and n eijght cent “DONT YOU BITE My DOG!” hall we drop down and get a highball?”” Se yd ariater— “Thanks; but I'mon the wateroplane