Judge, 1911-08-12 · page 7 of 24
Judge — August 12, 1911 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Judge page satirizes early 1910s New York City excess and hypocrisy. The main cartoon mocks NYC taxi cabs, which were notoriously expensive—the meter running constantly as a "pirate captain" (the cabbie) fleeces passengers. "The Simple Life" parodies wealthy New Yorkers' pretense of living modestly while actually indulging in luxury: champagne, expensive restaurants, theater, and motor cars. The irony is that their "simple" lifestyle costs enormous sums. Other brief jokes target familiar urban types: taxi meters draining money, the assumption that women spend men's earnings, and the taxi driver as worse than historical criminals. "The New York of the Future" diagram humorously imagines the city growing vertically into impossible density—a commentary on rapid urbanization and skyline expansion already visible in the 1910s. The overall tone reflects Judge's satirical approach to mocking Manhattan's wealthy class and their contradictions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
eg i, Ali pi i ffi” aus once Ny ie " 4 A val is tah “i P wy o THE SONG OF THE NEW YORK TAXICAB. Sing a song of taxicabs Standing in a row, To ride across the street in one ‘Would cost you all your dough. The Simple Life. Many members of the smart set are sincere devotees of the simple life. —News them from waiety weekly. H, YES! the simple life for me! Bring me a quart of Pommery, And cigarettes, just two or three— g== I do not care for luxury. The theater three nights a week— Such pleasures might a hermit seek. A sixty-horse-power motor car Will bear me (simply) near and far. For dinner, oysters, soup, and steak, An entree, and some game I'll take; A salad and a luscious sweet— 1 like the simpler things to eat. For drinks, a cocktail, nice and dry; Three highballs, preferably rye; A simple little pint of wine, And then a cordial—simply fine! For pets, a dog of pedigree— But only one; and you'll agree That winter golf on Pinehurst hills Will not increase my simple bills. Yes, New York life is very gay, But I can simply say it nay. Inever paint the town so red But three-a.m. finds me in bed. So, as I’ve said and you can see, The simple life’s the life for me. —s.k.u. ETTER fifty years in Gotham than a thousand spent away. ‘The figures on the meter Commence their merry climb, Every time the wheels go round It means another dime. Often. “ HAT becomes of the average man’s money?” “I guess it goes to the average woman.”” On the Side. Novelty onsense oise Enterprise xcitement arnestness W ealth isdom eariness Y outh earning awping O rder pen-heartedness ligarchy iot est evolt Kidding conscience haracter Post-mortem. Mrs. Fly—“1 just heard of Mr. Buzzer’s death by the plague.’* Mr. Fly—“Did he get stuck or was he swatted?”” The chauffeur makes the deeds of Kidd Appear a trifle dim, No pirate captain ever did Have anything on him A String Either Way. [He PROOF of the fisherman may be a string of fish or a string of lies. WA PETERSEN THE NEW YORK OF THE FUTURE, If the city continues to grow out and up. comicbooks.com