Judge, 1911-12-09 · page 13 of 28
Judge — December 9, 1911 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a sentimental Christmas poem paired with an illustration of Santa Claus descending a chimney with his bag of toys. The image shows Santa at the top of the composition, with a winter cottage scene below. The poem's theme emphasizes shared joy over solitary pleasure—a common Victorian-era moral lesson. Santa represents generosity and the Christmas spirit of giving. The text contrasts selfish enjoyment ("solitaire," "lonely things") with the multiplied happiness that comes from sharing gifts and experiences with others. For a Judge magazine audience, this likely served as wholesome holiday content promoting family values and togetherness during the Christmas season, contrasting with the magazine's typical satirical fare. The John Kendrick Bangs byline suggests quality literary contribution to the publication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A HH O L I D A Y Ww ites dH By JOHN KENDRICK BANGS. IEN SANTA CLAUS doth visit me With richly laden pack of toys. Aad tombles down my chim-i-acy To scatter ‘round his Christmas joys, I trast that he will bring the kind That can be shared, for it is tree, Past peradventure to my mind That joy is sweeter shared by two. I NEVER CARED for solitaire. I do no not pine for foncly things. T love the pleasore I can share Because of all the fon it brings. A selfish pleasore loses zest With sone to share it with you by, And shrinks the longer ‘tis possest, While joys divided maltiply. comicbooks.com