Judge, 1912-02-17 · page 11 of 24
Judge — February 17, 1912 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts a blindfolded businessman surrounded by papers and a "BULLETIN" board—representing someone willfully ignoring pressing business matters while claiming ignorance ("I AM BLIND"). The satire targets politicians and public figures who deny their ambitions or dodge accountability through evasion, exemplified in "Keeping People Guessing," where a colonel refuses to clarify whether he'll run for office, frustrating the questioner. The page collects various brief satirical pieces mocking social pretension and absurdity: women's vanity in the "Pastoral Limericks," marital discontent remedied by Nevada divorce ("Reno-vated"), and foolish invention (a "safety attachment for an electric chair"). The humor relies on wordplay and observational comedy about contemporary American life—workplace dynamics, political ambition, gender relations, and technological progress viewed skeptically.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Keeping People Guessing. 6s] AM not a candidate.” “But, colonel,” I protested, “I don’t give a rap whether you are a can- didate or not; I want to know whether you will be one.”” “Great Scott!’’ he retorted, with evi- dent displeasure. ‘‘Haven’t I told you plainly that I am not a candidate?” One Better. Nip—‘Bones is speaker of the house, - and only thirty !?” Tuck—‘‘That’s nothing! My wife be- came speaker of the house as soon as I ied her, and she was only twenty- Debutante (being introduced)—**Par- don me! Is it Miss or Mrs. de Long?’’ Old maid—-‘* Miss-—by choice."’ BLIND TO THE WORLD. A moment's respite from the pressure of business Pastoral Limericks. A maiden yclept Adelaide To climb up a peach tree essayed; I chanced to be there, And I really declare ‘That a very good showing she made. A Another one, known as Hortense, Attempted to scale a high fence. I was passing that way, And I really must say She displayed very poor common sense. a A lady’s red skirt was turned toward A bull who terrific’ly roared; I saw it, did I, And remarked with a sigh, “That skirt will be beautifully gored !’" a A lady, decidedly fat, In a hammock contentedly sat. I was motoring by, And this comment made 1, “There is really quite something in that!"" -6.6.6. He Got a Job. Editor—-‘* You seem to think that, be- cause you were the champion hammer- thrower at college, you could fit into a magazine office. Why not try a black- smith shop?” Applicant—‘‘I thought you might need me to help throw the poets down- stairs."" Fountain of Youth. Lovely woman is resourceful ; When she finds she’s badly mated, She hastens to Nevada, Comes back happy, Reno-vated. Impractical. Coombs—‘‘He is a very ingenious in- ventor.’’ Nallins—“‘But exceedingly imprac- tical. His last creation is an automatic safety attachment for an electric chair.’” comicbooks.com