Judge, 1911-04-01 · page 15 of 24
Judge — April 1, 1911 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects rural American humor and social observations by "Uncle Ezra," a rustic character dispensing folksy wisdom. The top cartoon depicts two ducks fleeing a restaurant, joking that the establishment serves "flies in the soup"—mocking cheap, unsanitary diners of the era. The lower illustration shows two men discussing insomnia, where one complains his wife's talking prevents sleep—a common domestic complaint used for comedic effect. The text throughout offers cynical observations on American life: life-insurance salesmen as pests, men sneaking to saloons when wives aren't watching, and a sardonic note about Native Americans reduced to "honest livin'" only through sports or posing as cigar-store decorations—reflecting the period's racist stereotypes. The humor relies on period-specific anxieties: railway travel, rheumatism remedies, and restaurant quality—concerns of early 20th-century readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Reflections of Uncle Ezra. By ROY K. MOULTON. LI HANKS drinks whiskey in the It summer to cool him off and in the winter to warm him up. In the spring and fall he drinks it for medicinal purposes. Outside of the skyattic rheumatiz, about the hardest thing in this world to get rid of is a life-insurance agent. No matter what kind of pie a feller orders in a restaurant, he is always sorry he didn’t order some other kind. Ren Frisby says he rarely goes by a saloon, and, in fact, he never does, un- less his wife is watchin’ him. Hi Haskins never worries about the crops. His wife collects alimony from three former husbands. Some fellers are dum’ fools naturally, while others go around lookin’ at them- selves in plate-glass winders. If Job had ever tried to color a meer- schaum pipe or to get a seat ina sub- “Oh, it amounts to the same thing. DORAN = Greet, “COME ON, BILL, DON’TLEAT IN THERE. THERE'S A RESTAURANT UP HERE WHERE THEY SERVE FLIES IN THE SOUP." way train, he would never have gained a reputation for patience. I never see a feller that carried his loose change in a purse that ever died in the poorhouse. AND THERE IS NO CURE. “ Are you ever troubled with insomnia ?"" About the only way an Indian can make an honest livin’ nowadays is by playin’ football or posin’ in front of a cigar store with a bunch of wooden cheroots in his hand. My wife is, and I can’t sleep when anyone is talking.” comicbooks.com